The Wire

The Complete Guide

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Contents
Articles
Overview
The Wire David Simon Writers and directors Awards and nominations 1 1 23 34 36 40 40 44 52 59 68 77 84 84 93 93 116 122 126 129 134 137 140 144 146 148 154 158 163 166

Seasons and episodes

List of The Wire episodes Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5

Characters
List of The Wire characters

Police
Police of The Wire Jimmy McNulty Kima Greggs Bunk Moreland Lester Freamon Herc Hauk Roland Pryzbylewski Ellis Carver Leander Sydnor Beadie Russell Cedric Daniels William Rawls Ervin Burrell Stanislaus Valchek Jay Landsman

Law enforcement
Law enforcement characters of The Wire Rhonda Pearlman Maurice Levy

170 170 176 179 182 182 188 193 196 199 203 209 215 219 221 223 227 229 231 235 237 240 242 244 244 249 251 253 256 258 258 267 272 276 279

Street-level characters
Street-level characters of The Wire Omar Little Bubbles Dennis "Cutty" Wise Stringer Bell Avon Barksdale Marlo Stanfield Proposition Joe Spiros Vondas The Greek Chris Partlow Felicia "Snoop" Pearson Wee-Bey Brice Bodie Broadus Poot Carr D'Angelo Barksdale Cheese Wagstaff Wallace

Docks
Characters from the docks of The Wire Frank Sobotka Nick Sobotka Ziggy Sobotka Sergei Malatov

Politicians
Politicians of The Wire Tommy Carcetti Clarence Royce Clay Davis Norman Wilson

School
School system of The Wire Howard "Bunny" Colvin Michael Lee Duquan "Dukie" Weems Namond Brice Randy Wagstaff

281 281 287 290 293 295 298 301 301 306 309 312 314 314

Journalists
Journalists of The Wire Augustus Haynes Scott Templeton Alma Gutierrez

Miscellany
And All the Pieces Matter Five Years of Music from The Wire

References
Article Sources and Contributors Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 317 321

Article Licenses
License 322

Overview
The Wire
The Wire
Second season intertitle Genre Created by Starring Drama David Simon Dominic West John Doman Idris Elba Frankie Faison Larry Gilliard, Jr. Wood Harris Deirdre Lovejoy Wendell Pierce Lance Reddick Andre Royo Sonja Sohn Chris Bauer Paul Ben-Victor Clarke Peters Amy Ryan Aidan Gillen Jim True-Frost Robert Wisdom Seth Gilliam Domenick Lombardozzi J. D. Williams Michael K. Williams Corey Parker Robinson Reg E. Cathey Chad L. Coleman Jamie Hector Glynn Turman Clark Johnson Tom McCarthy Gbenga Akinnagbe Neal Huff Jermaine Crawford Tristan Wilds Michael Kostroff Michelle Paress Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Theme music composer Tom Waits

The Wire

2
Opening theme "Way Down in the Hole" Season 1: The Blind Boys of Alabama Season 2: Tom Waits Season 3: The Neville Brothers Season 4: DoMaJe Season 5: Steve Earle "The Fall" by Blake Leyh United States English 5 60 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) David Simon Robert F. Colesberry (Seasons 13) Nina Kostroff Noble (Seasons 35) Karen L. Thorson Ed Burns (Seasons 35) Joe Chappelle (Seasons 35) George Pelecanos (Season 3) Eric Overmyer (Season 4) Baltimore, Maryland Single-camera 5560 minutes Broadcast Original channel Picture format Audio format Original run HBO 480i SDTV Dolby Digital 5.1 June 2, 2002 March9,2008 External links Website [1]

Ending theme Country of origin Language(s) No. of seasons No. of episodes

Producer(s)

Location(s) Camera setup Running time

The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002 and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons. Each season of The Wire focuses on a different facet of the city of Baltimore. In chronological order they are: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media. The large cast consists mainly of character actors who are little known for their other roles. Simon has said that despite its presentation as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution

The Wire they are committed to."[2] Despite only receiving modest ratings and never winning major television awards, The Wire has been described by many critics as the greatest television series ever made and one of the most accomplished works of fiction of the 2000s.[3][4][5][6][7][8] The show is recognized for its realistic portrayal of urban life, its literary ambitions, and its uncommonly deep exploration of sociopolitical themes.

Production
Conception
Simon has stated that he originally set out to create a police drama loosely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective. Burns, when working on protracted investigations of violent drug dealers using surveillance technology, had often been frustrated by the bureaucracy of the Baltimore police department; Simon saw similarities with his own ordeals as a police reporter for The Baltimore Sun. Simon chose to set the show in Baltimore because of his intimate familiarity with the city. During his time as a writer and producer for the NBC program Homicide: Life on the Street, based on his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and also set in Baltimore, Simon had come into conflict with NBC network executives who were displeased by the show's pessimism. Simon wanted to avoid a repeat of these conflicts. He chose to take The Wire David Simon, creator of The Wire to HBO because of their existing working relationship from the 2000 miniseries The Corner. Owing to its reputation for exploring new areas, HBO was initially doubtful about including a police drama in its lineup, but eventually agreed to produce the pilot episode.[9][10] Simon approached the mayor of Baltimore, telling him that he wanted to give a bleak portrayal of certain aspects of the city; he was welcomed to work there again. He hoped that the show would change the opinions of some viewers but said that it was unlikely to have an impact on the issues it portrays.[9]

Casting
The casting of the show has been praised for avoiding big-name stars and providing character actors who appear natural in their roles.[11] The looks of the cast as a whole have been described as defying TV expectations by presenting a true range of humanity on screen.[12] The initial cast was assembled through a process of auditions and readings. Lance Reddick received the role of Cedric Daniels after auditioning for several other parts.[13] Michael K. Williams got the part of Omar Little after only a single audition.[14] Several prominent real-life Baltimore figures, including former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.; Rev. Frank M. Reid III; former police chief, convicted felon, and radio personality Ed Norris; Virginia Delegate Rob Bell; Howard County Executive Ken Ulman; and former mayor Kurt Schmoke have appeared in minor roles despite not being professional actors.[15][16] "Little Melvin" Williams, a Baltimore drug lord arrested in the 1980s by an investigation that Ed Burns had been part of, had a recurring role as a deacon beginning in the third season. Jay Landsman, a longtime police officer who inspired the character of the same name,[17] played Lieutenant Dennis Mello.[18] Baltimore police commander Gary D'Addario served as the series technical advisor for the first two seasons[19][20] and has a recurring role as prosecutor Gary DiPasquale.[21] Simon shadowed D'Addario's shift when researching his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and both D'Addario and Landsman are subjects of the book.[22]

The Wire More than a dozen cast members previously appeared on HBO's first hour long drama, Oz. J. D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Lance Reddick, and Reg E. Cathey were featured in very prominent roles in Oz, while a number of other notable stars of The Wire, including Wood Harris, Frankie Faison, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Hyatt and Method Man appeared in at least one episode of Oz.[23] Cast members Erik Dellums, Peter Gerety, Clark Johnson, Toni Lewis and Callie Thorne also appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street, the earlier and award winning network television series also based on Simon's book; Lewis appeared on Oz as well.[24][25][26][27][28] A number of cast members, as well as crew members, also appeared in the preceding HBO miniseries The Corner including Clarke Peters, Reg E. Cathey, Lance Reddick, Corey Parker Robinson, Robert F. Chew and Delaney Williams.

Crew
Alongside Simon, the show's creator, head writer, showrunner and executive producer, much of the creative team behind The Wire are alumni of Homicide and Emmy-winning miniseries The Corner. The Corner veteran, Robert F. Colesberry, was executive producer for the first two seasons and directed the season 2 finale before dying from complications from heart surgery in 2004. He is credited by the rest of the creative team as having a large creative role for a producer, and Simon credits him for achieving the show's realistic visual feel.[2] He also had a small recurring role as Detective Ray Cole.[29] Colesberry's wife Karen L. Thorson joined him on the production staff.[19] A third producer on The Corner, Nina Kostroff Noble also stayed with the production staff for The Wire rounding out the initial four-person team.[19] Following Colesberry's death, she became the show's second executive producer alongside Simon.[30] Stories for the show were often co-written by Ed Burns, a former Baltimore homicide detective and public school teacher who had worked with Simon on other projects including The Corner. Burns also became a producer on The Wire in the show's fourth season.[31] Other writers for The Wire include three acclaimed crime fiction writers from outside of Baltimore: George Pelecanos from Washington, Richard Price from the Bronx and Dennis Lehane from Boston.[32] Reviewers drew comparisons between Price's works (particularly Clockers) and The Wire even before he joined.[33] In addition to writing, Pelecanos served as a producer for the third season.[34] Pelecanos has commented that he was attracted to the project because of the opportunity to work with Simon.[34] Staff writer Rafael Alvarez penned several episodes' scripts, as well as the series guidebook The Wire: Truth Be Told. Alvarez is a colleague of Simon's from The Sun and a Baltimore native with working experience in the port area.[35] Another city native and independent filmmaker, Joy Lusco, also wrote for the show in each of its first three seasons.[36] Baltimore Sun writer and political journalist William F. Zorzi joined the writing staff in the third season and brought a wealth of experience to the show's examination of Baltimore politics.[35] Playwright and television writer/producer Eric Overmyer joined the crew of The Wire in the show's fourth season as a consulting producer and writer.[31] He had also previously worked on Homicide. Overmyer was brought into the full-time production staff to replace Pelecanos who scaled back his involvement to concentrate on his next book and worked on the fourth season solely as a writer.[37] Emmy-award winner, Homicide and The Corner writer and college friend of Simon David Mills also joined the writing staff in the fourth season.[31] Directors include Homicide alumnus Clark Johnson,[38] who directed several acclaimed episodes of The Shield,[39] and Tim Van Patten, an Emmy winner who has worked on every season of The Sopranos. The directing has been praised for its uncomplicated and subtle style.[11] Following the death of Colesberry, director Joe Chappelle joined the production staff as a co-executive producer and continued to regularly direct episodes.[40]

The Wire

Episode structure
When broadcast on HBO and on some international networks, the episodes are preceded by a recap of events that have a bearing upon the upcoming narrative, using clips from previous episodes. Each episode begins with a cold open that seldom contains a dramatic juncture. The screen then fades or cuts to black while the intro music fades in. The show's opening title sequence then plays; a series of shots, mainly close-ups, concerning the show's subject matter that changes from season to season, separated by fast cutting (a technique rarely used in the show itself). The opening credits are superimposed on the sequence, and consist only of actors' names without identifying which actors play which roles. In addition, actors' faces are rarely seen in the title sequence. At the end of the sequence, a quotation is shown on-screen that is spoken by a character during the episode. The three exceptions were the first season finale which uses the phrase "All in the game", attributed to "Traditional West Baltimore", a phrase used frequently throughout all five seasons including that episode; the fourth season finale which uses words written on boarded up vacant homes attributed to "Baltimore, traditional" and the series finale, which started with a quote from H. L. Mencken that is shown on a wall at The Baltimore Sun in one scene, neither quote being spoken by a character. Progressive story arcs often unfold in different locations at the same time. Episodes rarely end with a cliffhanger, and close with a fade or cut to black with the closing music fading in.

Music
The Wire primarily uses source cues rather than overlaying songs on the soundtrack, or employing a score. Source cues are pieces of music that emanate from an element within the scene, such as a jukebox or car radio. This practice is rarely but occasionally breached, notably for the end of season montages and occasionally with a brief overlap of the closing theme and the final shot.[41] The opening theme is "Way Down in the Hole", a gospel- and blues-inspired song originally written by Tom Waits for his 1987 album Franks Wild Years. Each season uses a different recording of it against a different opening sequence, with the theme being performed, in order, by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Waits himself, The Neville Brothers, DoMaJe and Steve Earle. Season four's version of "Way Down in the Hole" was arranged and recorded specifically for the show, and is performed by five Baltimore teenagers: Ivan Ashford, Markel Steele, Cameron Brown, Tariq Al-Sabir, and Avery Bargasse.[42] Earle, who performed the fifth season's version, is also a member of the cast, playing the recovering drug addict Walon.[43] The closing theme is "The Fall", composed by Blake Leyh, who is also the show's music supervisor. During season finales, a song is played before the closing scene in a montage showing the major characters' lives continuing in the aftermath of the narrative. The first season montage is played over "Step by Step" by Jesse Winchester, the second "I Feel Alright" by Steve Earle, the third "Fast Train" written by Van Morrison and performed by Solomon Burke, the fourth "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" written by Dr. John and performed by Paul Weller, and the fifth uses an extended version of "Way Down In The Hole" by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the same version of the song used as the opening theme for the first season. While the songs reflect the mood of the sequence, their lyrics are usually only loosely tied to the visual shots. In the commentary track to episode 37, "Mission Accomplished", executive producer David Simon said: "I hate it when somebody purposely tries to have the lyrics match the visual. It brutalizes the visual in a way to have the lyrics dead on point.... Yet at the same time it can't be totally off point. It has to glance at what you're trying to say."[33] A recurring piece of music used throughout the series is The Pogues' "The Body of an American", which is always played at the detectives' wakes at Kavanaugh's Bar. Two soundtrack albums, called The Wire: And All the Pieces MatterFive Years of Music from The Wire and Beyond Hamsterdam, were released on January 8, 2008 on Nonesuch Records.[44] The former features music from all five seasons of the series and the latter includes local Baltimore artists exclusively.[44]

The Wire

Style
Realism
The writers strove to create a realistic vision of an American city based on their own experiences. Central to this aim is the creation of truthful characters. Simon has stated that most of them are composites of real-life Baltimore figures.[45] The show often casts non-professional actors in minor roles, distinguishing itself from other television series by showing the "faces and voices of the real city" it depicts.[46] The writing also uses contemporary slang to enhance the immersive viewing experience.[46] In distinguishing the police characters from other television detectives, Simon makes the point that even the best police of The Wire are motivated not by a desire to protect and serve, but by the intellectual vanity of believing they are smarter than the criminals they are chasing. However, while many of the police do exhibit altruistic qualities, many officers portrayed on the show are incompetent, brutal, self-aggrandizing, or hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. The criminals are not always motivated by profit or a desire to harm others; many are trapped in their existence and all have human qualities. Even so, The Wire does not minimize or gloss over the horrific effects of their actions.[2] The show is realistic in depicting the processes of both police work and criminal activity. Many of the plot points were based on the experiences of Simon and Burns. There have even been reports of real-life criminals watching the show to learn how to counter police investigation techniques.[47][48] The fifth season portrays a working newsroom and has been hailed as the most realistic portrayal of the media in film and television.[49] In December 2006, The Washington Post carried an article in which local African-American students stated that the show had "hit a nerve" with the black community, and that they themselves knew real-life counterparts of many of the characters. The article expressed great sadness at the toll drugs and violence are taking on the black community.[50]

Visual novel
Many important events occur off-camera and there is no artificial exposition in the form of voice-over or flashbacks, with the sole exception of one flashback at the end of the pilot episode, and even this brief use of the flashback technique is actually replaying a momentary footage clip from earlier in the same episode. Thus, the viewer needs to follow every conversation closely to understand who's who and what's going on. Salon.com has described the show as novelistic in structure, with a greater depth of writing and plotting than other crime shows.[32] Each season of The Wire consists of 1013 full-hour episodes, which form several multi-layered narratives. Simon chose this structure with an eye towards long story arcs that draw a viewer in and then result in a more satisfying payoff. He uses the metaphor of a visual novel in several interviews,[9][51] describing each episode as a chapter, and has also commented that this allows a fuller exploration of the show's themes in time not spent on plot development.[2]

Social commentary
Simon described the second season as "a meditation on the death of work and the betrayal of the American working class ... it is a deliberate argument that unencumbered capitalism is not a substitute for social policy; that on its own, without a social compact, raw capitalism is destined to serve the few at the expense of the many."[45] He added that season 3 "reflects on the nature of reform and reformers, and whether there is any possibility that political processes, long calcified, can mitigate against the forces currently arrayed against individuals." The third season is also an allegory that draws explicit parallels between the Iraq War and drug prohibition,[45] which in Simon's view has failed in its aims[48] and has become a war against America's underclass.[52] This is portrayed by Major Colvin, imparting to Carver his view that policing has been allowed to become a war and thus will never

The Wire succeed in its aims. Writer Ed Burns, who worked as a public school teacher after retiring from the Baltimore police force shortly before going to work with Simon, has called education the theme of the fourth season. Rather than focusing solely on the school system, the fourth season looks at schools as a porous part of the community that are affected by problems outside of their boundaries. Burns states that education comes from many sources other than schools and that children can be educated by other means, including contact with the drug dealers they work for.[53] Burns and Simon see the theme as an opportunity to explore how individuals end up like the show's criminal characters, and to dramatize the notion that hard work is not always justly rewarded.[54]

Themes
Institutional dysfunction
Simon has identified the organizations featured in the show the Baltimore Police Department, City Hall, the Baltimore public school system, the Barksdale drug trafficking operation, The Baltimore Sun, and the stevedores' union as comparable institutions. All are dysfunctional in some way, and the characters are typically betrayed by the institutions that they accept in their lives.[2] There is also a sentiment echoed by a detective in Narcotics"Shit rolls downhill"which describes how superiors, especially in the higher tiers of the police department in the series, will attempt to use subordinates as scapegoats for any major scandals. Simon described the show as "cynical about institutions"[48] while taking a humanistic approach toward its characters.[48] A central theme developed throughout the show is the struggle between individual desires and subordination to the group's goals. Whether it is Officer Jimmy McNulty using all his cards to pursue a high-profile case despite resistance from his own department, or gang member D'Angelo Barksdale accepting a 20 year prison sentence contrary to his strong desire to turn in his uncle Avon and walk, this type of conflict is pervasive in all aspects of the show.

Surveillance
Central to the structure and plot of the show is the use of electronic surveillance and wiretap technologies by the policehence the title The Wire. Salon.com described the title as a metaphor for the viewer's experience: the wiretaps provide the police with access to a secret world, just as the show does for the viewer.[32] Simon has discussed the use of camera shots of surveillance equipment, or shots that appear to be taken from the equipment itself, to emphasize the volume of surveillance in modern life and the characters' need to sift through this information.[2]

Cast and characters

The Wire employs a broad ensemble cast, supplemented by many recurring guest stars who populate the institutions featured in the show. The majority of the cast is African American, which accurately reflects the demographics of Baltimore. This is a rarity in American television drama. On February 3, 2008, with the airing of its 55th episode, The Wire became the second-longest running dramatic series with a predominantly African-American cast in the history of American prime-time television. Only Soul Food has aired more episodes. The show's creators are also willing to kill off major characters, so that viewers cannot assume that a given character will survive simply because of a starring role or popularity among fans. In response to a question on why a certain character had to die, David Simon said, We are not selling hope, or audience gratification, or cheap victories with this show. The Wire is making an argument about what institutionsbureaucracies, criminal enterprises, the cultures of addiction, raw capitalism evendo to individuals. It is not designed purely as an entertainment. It is, I'm afraid, a somewhat angry show.[55]

The Wire

Main cast
The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems played counterpoint to his ability as a criminal investigator. The detail was led by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) who faced challenges balancing his career aspirations with his desire to produce a good case. Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner. Her investigative work was greatly helped by her criminal informant, a drug addict known as Bubbles (Andre Royo). Like Greggs, partners Thomas "Herc" Hauk (Domenick Lombardozzi) and Ellis Carver (Seth Gilliam) were reassigned to the detail from the narcotics unit. The duo's initially violent nature was eventually subdued as they proved useful in grunt work, and sometimes served as comic relief for the audience.[32] Rounding out the temporary unit were detectives Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost). Though not initially important players in the operation, Freamon proved a quietly capable and methodical investigator with a knack for noticing tiny but important details, and Prez turned out to be a natural at following paper trails and his persistence when dealing with seemingly unbreakable codes paid off eventually. These investigators were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Major William Rawls (John Doman) and Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison). Assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy) acted as the legal liaison between the detail and the courthouse and also had a sexual relationship with McNulty. In the homicide division, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce) was a gifted, dry-witted, hard-drinking detective partnered with McNulty under Sergeant Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams), the jovial squad supervisor. Peter Gerety had a recurring role as Judge Phelan, the official who started the case moving.[32] On the other side of the investigation was Avon Barksdale's drug empire. The driven, ruthless Barksdale (Wood Harris) was aided by business-minded Stringer Bell (Idris Elba). Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale (Larry Gilliard, Jr.) ran some of his uncle's territory, but also possessed a guilty conscience, while loyal Wee-Bey Brice (Hassan Johnson) was responsible for multiple homicides carried out on Avon's orders. Working under D'Angelo were Poot (Tray Chaney), Bodie (J. D. Williams), and Wallace (Michael B. Jordan), all street-level drug dealers.[32] Wallace was an intelligent but naive youth trapped in the drug trade,[32] and Poot a randy young man happy to follow rather than lead. Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a renowned Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan. The second season introduced a new group of characters working in the Baltimore port area, including Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos (Paul Ben-Victor), Beadie Russell (Amy Ryan), and Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer). Vondas was the underboss of a global smuggling operation, Russell an inexperienced Port authority officer and single mother thrown in at the deep end of a multiple homicide investigation, and Frank Sobotka a union leader who turned to crime to raise funds to save his union. Also joining the show in season 2 were Nick Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber), Frank's nephew; Ziggy Sobotka (James Ransone), Frank's troubled son; and "The Greek" (Bill Raymond), Vondas's mysterious boss. As the second season ended, the focus shifted away from the ports, leaving the new characters behind. The third season saw several previously recurring characters assuming larger starring roles, including Detective Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson), Bodie (J.D. Williams), Omar (Michael K. Williams), Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), and Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom). Colvin commanded the Western district where the Barksdale organization operated, and nearing retirement, he came up with a radical new method of dealing with the drug problem. Proposition Joe, the East Side's cautious drug kingpin, became more cooperative with the Barksdale Organization. Sydnor, a rising young star in the police department in season 1, returned to the cast as part of the major crimes unit. Bodie had been seen gradually rising in the Barksdale organization since the first episode; he was born to their trade and showed a fierce aptitude for it. Omar had a vendetta against the Barksdale organization

The Wire and gave them all of his lethal attention. New additions in the third season included Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), an ambitious city councilman; Mayor Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman), the incumbent whom Carcetti planned to unseat; Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector), leader of an upstart gang seeking to challenge Avon's dominance; and Dennis "Cutty" Wise (Chad Coleman), a newly released convict uncertain of his future. In the fourth season, four young actors joined the cast: Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems; Maestro Harrell as Randy Wagstaff; Julito McCullum as Namond Brice; and Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee. The characters are friends from a West Baltimore middle school. Another newcomer was Norman Wilson (Reg E. Cathey), Carcetti's deputy campaign manager. The fifth season saw several actors join the starring cast. Gbenga Akinnagbe returns as the previously recurring Chris Partlow, chief enforcer of the now dominant Stanfield Organization. Neal Huff reprises his role as Mayoral chief of staff Michael Steintorf having previously appeared as a guest star at the end of the fourth season. Two other actors also join the starring cast having previously portrayed their corrupt characters as guest stars Michael Kostroff as defense attorney Maurice Levy and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as senator Clay Davis. Crew member Clark Johnson appeared in front of the camera for the first time to play Augustus Haynes, the principled editor of the city desk of The Baltimore Sun. He is joined in the newsroom by two other new stars; Michelle Paress and Tom McCarthy play young reporters Alma Gutierrez and Scott Templeton.

Plot
Season 1
The first season introduces two major groups of characters: the Baltimore police department and a drug dealing organization run by the Barksdale family. The season follows the police investigation of the latter over its 13 episodes. The investigation is triggered when detective Jimmy McNulty meets privately with judge Daniel Phelan following the acquittal of D'Angelo Barksdale for murder after a key witness changes her story. McNulty tells Phelan that the witness has probably been intimidated by members of a drug trafficking empire run by D'Angelo's uncle, Avon Barksdale, having recognized several faces at the trial, notably Avon's second-in-command, Stringer Bell. He also tells Phelan that nobody is investigating Barksdale's criminal activity, which includes a significant portion of the city's drug trade and several unsolved homicides. Phelan takes issue with McNulty's report and complains to senior Police Department figures, embarrassing them into creating a detail dedicated to investigating Barksdale. However, owing to the department's dysfunction, the investigation is intended as a faade to appease the judge. An interdepartmental struggle between the more motivated officers on the detail and their superiors spans the whole season, with interference by the higher-ups often threatening to ruin the investigation. The detail's commander, Cedric Daniels, acts as mediator between the two opposing groups of police. Meanwhile, the organized and cautious Barksdale gang is explored through characters at various levels within it. The organization is continually antagonized by a stick-up crew led by Omar Little, and the feud leads to several deaths. Throughout, D'Angelo struggles with his conscience over his life of crime and the people it affects. The police have little success with street-level arrests or with securing informants beyond Bubbles, a well known West-Side drug-addict. Eventually the investigation takes the direction of electronic surveillance, with wiretaps and pager clones to infiltrate the security measures taken by the Barksdale organization. This leads the investigation to areas the commanding officers had hoped to avoid, including political contributions. When an associate of Avon Barksdale's is arrested by State Police and offers to cooperate, the commanding officers order the detail to undertake a sting operation to wrap up the case. Detective Kima Greggs is seriously hurt in the operation, triggering an

The Wire overzealous response from the rest of the department. This causes the detail's targets to suspect that they are under investigation. Wallace is murdered by his childhood friends Bodie and Poot, on orders from Stringer Bell, after leaving his "secure" placement with relatives and returning to Baltimore. D'Angelo Barksdale is eventually arrested with a large quantity of drugs, and learning of Wallace's murder, is ready to turn in his uncle and Stringer. However, D'Angelo's mother convinces him to rescind the deal and take the charges for his family. The detail manages to arrest Avon on a minor charge and gets one of his soldiers, Wee-Bey, to confess to most of the murders, some of which he did not commit. Stringer escapes prosecution and is left running the Barksdale empire. For the officers, the consequences of antagonizing their superiors are severe, with Daniels passed over for promotion and McNulty assigned out of homicide and into the marine unit.

10

Season 2
The second season, along with its ongoing examination of the drug problem and its effect on the urban poor, examines the plight of the blue-collar urban working class as exemplified by stevedores in the city port, as some of them get caught up in smuggling drugs and other contraband inside the shipping containers that pass through their port.[45] In a season-long subplot, the Barksdale organization continues its drug trafficking despite Avon's imprisonment, with Stringer Bell assuming greater power. McNulty harbors a grudge against his former commanders for reassigning him to the marine unit. When thirteen unidentified young women are found dead in a container at the docks, McNulty successfully makes a spiteful effort to place the murders within the jurisdiction of his former commander. Meanwhile, police Major Stan Valchek gets into a feud with Frank Sobotka, a leader of the International Brotherhood of Stevedores, a fictional dockers' union, over competing donations to their old neighborhood church. Valchek demands a detail to investigate Sobotka. Cedric Daniels is interviewed, having been praised by Prez, Major Valcheck's son-in-law, and also because of his work on the Barksdale case. He is eventually selected to lead the detail assigned just to investigate Sobotka; when the investigation is concluded Daniels is assured he will move up to head a special case unit with personnel of his choosing. Life for the blue-collar men of the port is increasingly hard and work is scarce. As union leader, Sobotka has taken it on himself to reinvigorate the port by lobbying politicians to support much-needed infrastructure improvement initiatives. Lacking the funds needed for this kind of influence, Sobotka has become involved with a smuggling ring. Around him, his son and nephew also turn to crime, as they have few other opportunities to earn money. It becomes clear to the Sobotka detail that the dead girls are related to their investigation, as they were in a container that was supposed to be smuggled through the port. They again use wiretaps to infiltrate the crime ring and slowly work their way up the chain towards The Greek, the mysterious man in charge. But Valchek, upset that their focus has moved beyond Sobotka, gets the FBI involved. The Greek has contacts inside the FBI and starts severing his ties to Baltimore when he learns about the investigation. After a dispute over stolen goods turns violent, Sobotka's son Ziggy is charged with the murder of one of the Greek's underlings. Sobotka himself is arrested for smuggling; he agrees to work with the detail to help his son, finally seeing his actions as a mistake. However, the Greek learns about this through a mole in the FBI and has Sobotka killed. The investigation ends with the fourteen homicides solved but the perpetrator already dead. Several drug dealers and mid-level smuggling figures tied to the Greek are arrested, but he and his second-in-command escape uncharged and unidentified. The Major is pleased that Sobotka was arrested; the case is seen as a success by the commanding officers, but is viewed as a failure by the detail. Across town, the Barksdale organization continues its business under Stringer while Avon and D'Angelo Barksdale serve prison time. D'Angelo decides to cut ties to his family after his uncle organizes the deaths of several inmates and blames it on a corrupt guard to shave time from his sentence. Eventually Stringer covertly orders D'Angelo killed, with the murder staged to look like a suicide. Avon is unaware of Stringer's duplicity and mourns the loss of

The Wire his nephew. Stringer also struggles, having been cut off by Avon's drug suppliers and left with increasingly poor-quality product. He again goes behind Avon's back, giving up half of Avon's most prized territory to a rival named Proposition Joe in exchange for a share of his supply. Avon, unaware of the arrangement, assumes that Joe and other dealers are moving into his territory simply because the Barksdale organization has too few enforcers. He contracts a feared assassin named Brother Mouzone. Stringer deals with this by tricking his old adversary Omar into believing that Mouzone was responsible for the vicious killing of his partner in their feud in season one. Seeking revenge, Omar shoots Mouzone but, realizing Stringer has lied to him, calls 9-1-1. Mouzone recovers and leaves Baltimore, and Stringer (now with Avon's consent) is able to continue his arrangement with Proposition Joe.

11

Season 3
In the third season, the focus returned to the street and the Barksdale organization. The scope, however, was expanded to include the city's political scene. A new subplot was introduced to explore the potential positive effects of de facto "legalizing" the illegal drug trade, and incidentally prostitution, within the limited boundaries of a few uninhabited city blocks referred to as Hamsterdam. The posited benefits, as in Amsterdam and other European cities, were reduced street crime city-wide and increased outreach of health and social services to at-risk populations. These were continuations of storylines hinted at earlier. The demolition of the towers that had served as the Barksdale organization's prime territory pushes their dealers back out onto the streets of Baltimore. Stringer Bell continues his reform of the organization by cooperating with other drug lords, sharing with one another territory, product, and profits. Stringer's proposal is met with a curt refusal from Marlo Stanfield, leader of a new, growing crew. Against Stringer's advice, Avon decides to take Marlo's territory by force, and the two gangs become embroiled in a bitter turf war with multiple deaths. Omar Little continues to rob the Barksdale organization wherever possible. Working with his new boyfriend, Dante, and two women, he is once more a serious problem. The violence related to the drug trade makes it an obvious choice of investigation for Cedric Daniels' now-permanent Major Crimes Unit. Councilman Tommy Carcetti begins to prepare himself for a mayoral race. He manipulates a colleague into running against the mayor to split the black vote, secures a capable campaign manager, and starts making headlines for himself. As he approaches the end of his career, Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin of Baltimore's Eastern District wants to effect some real change in the troubled neighborhoods for which he has long been responsible. Without the knowledge of central command, Colvin sets up areas where police would monitor, but not punish drug trade. The police crack down severely on violence in these ares, and also on drug trafficking elsewhere in the city. For many weeks, Colvin's experiment works, and crime is reduced in his district. However, Colvin' superiors, the media, and city politicians eventually find out about the arrangement, and the "Hamsterdam" experiment ends. With top brass outraged, Colvin is forced to cease his actions, accept a demotion, and retire from the police department on a lower-grade pension. Tommy Carcetti uses the scandal to make a grandstanding speech at a weekly Baltimore city council meeting. Dennis "Cutty" Wise, once a drug dealer's enforcer, is released from prison alongside Avon. His struggles to adapt to life as a free man show an attempt at personal reform. Cutty tries to work as a manual laborer and then flirts with his former life, going to work for Avon. Finding he no longer has the heart for murder, he eventually uses funding from Avon to purchase new equipment for his nascent boxing gym. The Major Crimes Unit learns that Stringer has been buying real estate and developing it to fulfill his dream of being a successful legitimate businessman. Believing that the bloody turf war with Marlo is poised to destroy everything the Barksdale crew had worked for, Stringer gives Major Colvin information on Avon's weapons stash. But Stringer is himself being betrayed by Avon: Brother Mouzone had returned to Baltimore and tracked down Omar to join forces. Mouzone tells Avon that his shooting must be avenged. Avon, remembering how Stringer disregarded his

The Wire order which resulted in Stringer attempting to have Brother Mouzone killed, possibly still furious over D'Angelo's murder (Stringer having finally confessed the truth), and fearing Mouzone's ability to harm his reputation outside of Baltimore, informs Mouzone of Stringer's upcoming visit to his construction site. There, Mouzone and Omar corner him and shoot him to death. Colvin tells McNulty about Avon's hideout, and armed with the information gleaned from selling the Barksdale crew pre-wiretapped disposable cell phones, the detail stages a raid, arresting Avon and most of his underlings. Barksdale's criminal empire lies in ruins, and Marlo's young crew simply moves into their territory. The drug trade in West Baltimore continues with little change.

12

Season 4
The fourth season expanded its scope again to include an examination of the school system. Other major plots include the mayoral race that continues the political storyline begun in season three, and a closer look at Marlo Stanfield's drug gang, which has grown to control most of western Baltimore's trafficking. The show introduces Dukie, Randy, Michael, and Namond, four boys from West Baltimore, as they enter the eighth grade. At the same school, Prez has begun a new career as a math teacher. Despite mentorship from the more seasoned faculty, Namond, and later Michael, work as drug runners for Bodie, who has had middling success selling Proposition Joe's product independently. The cold-blooded Marlo has come to dominate the streets of the west side, using murder and intimidation to make up for his weak-quality drugs and lack of business acumen. His enforcers Chris Partlow and Snoop conceal their numerous victims in abandoned and boarded-up row houses where the bodies will not be readily discovered. The disappearances of so many known criminals come to mystify both the major crimes unit investigating Marlo and the homicide unit assigned to solve the presumed murders. Marlo coerces Bodie into working under him. McNulty has found peace working as a patrolman and living with Beadie Russell, and refuses promotions from Daniels, now a major commanding the Western District. Detectives Kima Greggs and Lester Freamon, as part of the major crimes unit, investigate Avon Barksdale's political donations and serve several key figures with subpoenas. Their work is shut down by Commissioner Ervin Burrell at Mayor Clarence Royce's request, and after being placed under stricter supervision within their unit, both Greggs and Freamon request and receive transfer to the homicide division. Meanwhile, the city's mayoral primary race enters its closing weeks. Royce initially has a seemingly insurmountable lead over challengers Tommy Carcetti and Tony Gray, with a big war chest and major endorsements. Royce's lead begins to fray, however, as his own political machinations turn against him and Carcetti starts to highlight the city's crime problem. Carcetti is propelled to victory in the primary election. Howard "Bunny" Colvin joins a research group attempting to study potential future criminals while they are still young. Dennis "Cutty" Wise continues to work with boys in his boxing gym, and accepts a job at the school rounding up truants. Bubbles takes a homeless teenager named Sherrod under his wing. He encourages the boy to attend class, which he fails to do. Prez has a few successes with his students, but some of them start to slip away. Disruptive Namond is removed from class and placed in the research group, where he gradually develops affection and respect for Colvin. Randy, in a moment of desperation, reveals knowledge of a murder to the assistant principal, leading to his being interrogated by police. Proposition Joe engineers a conflict between Omar Little and Marlo to convince Marlo to join the New Day Co-Op. After Omar robs Marlo, Marlo frames Omar for a murder and attempts to have him murdered in jail, but Omar manages to beat the charge with the help of Bunk. Omar learns Marlo set him up, and gets revenge on him and Proposition Joe by robbing the entire shipment of the Co-Op. Meanwhile, the co-op members, including Marlo, are furious at Joe for allowing the shipment to be stolen. Marlo demands satisfaction, and as a result, Joe sets up a

The Wire meeting between him and Spiros Vondas, who assuages Marlo's concerns. Having gotten a lead on Joe's connection to the Greeks, Marlo begins investigating them to learn more about their role in bringing narcotics into Baltimore. Freamon discovers the bodies Chris and Snoop had hidden. Bodie offers McNulty testimony against Marlo and his crew, but is shot dead on his corner by O-Dog, a member of Marlo's crew.[56] Sherrod dies after snorting a poisoned vial of heroin that, unbeknownst to him, Bubbles had prepared for their tormentor. Bubbles turns himself in to the police and tries to hang himself, but he survives and is taken to a detox facility. Michael has now joined the ranks of Marlo's killers and runs one of his corners, with Dukie leaving high school to work there. Randy's house is firebombed by school bullies for his cooperation with the police, leaving his caring foster mother hospitalized and sending him back to a group home. Namond is taken in by Colvin, who recognized the good in him. The major crimes unit from earlier seasons is largely reunited, and they resume their investigation of Marlo Stanfield.

13

Season 5
The fifth season focuses on the media and media consumption.[57] The show depicts the newspaper The Baltimore Sun, and in fact elements of the plot are taken from accounts of real-life events (such as the Jayson Blair NY Times scandal) and people at the Sun.[58] The season, according to David Simon, deals with "what stories get told and what don't and why it is that things stay the same."[57] Issues such as the quest for profit, the decrease in the number of reporters, and the end of aspiration for news quality would all be addressed, alongside the theme of homelessness. Fifteen months after the fourth season concludes, Mayor Carcetti's cuts in the police budget to redress the education deficit force the Marlo Stanfield investigation to shut down. Cedric Daniels secures a detail to focus on the prosecution of Senator Davis for corruption. Detective McNulty returns to the Homicide unit and decides to divert resources back to the police department by faking evidence to make it appear that a serial killer is murdering homeless men. The Baltimore Sun also faces budget cuts and the newsroom struggles to adequately cover the city, omitting many important stories. Commissioner Burrell continues to falsify crime statistics and is fired by Carcetti, who positions Daniels to replace him. Proposition Joe teaches Marlo Stanfield how to launder money and evade investigation. Once Joe is no longer useful to him, Stanfield has Joe killed and usurps his position with the Greeks and the New Day Co-Op. Stanfield lures his enemy Omar Little out of retirement by having Omar's mentor Butchie murdered. Michael Lee continues working as a Stanfield enforcer, providing a home for his friend Dukie and younger brother Bug. Omar returns to Baltimore seeking revenge, targeting Stanfield's organization, stealing and destroying money and drugs and killing Stanfield enforcers in an attempt to force Stanfield into the open. However, he is eventually shot and killed by Kenard, a young Stanfield dealer. Templeton claims to have been contacted by McNulty's fake serial killer. City Editor Gus Haynes becomes suspicious, but his superiors are enamored of Templeton. The story gains momentum and Carcetti spins the resulting attention on homelessness into a key issue in his imminent campaign for Governor and restores funding to the police department. Bubbles is recovering from his drug addiction while living in his sister's basement. He is befriended by Sun reporter Mike Fletcher, who eventually writes a profile of Bubbles. Bunk is disgusted with McNulty's serial killer scheme and tries to have Lester Freamon reason with McNulty. Instead, Freamon helps McNulty perpetuate the lie and uses the funds for an illegal wiretap on Stanfield. Bunk resumes working the vacant house murders, leading to a murder warrant against Partlow for killing Michael's stepfather. Freamon and Leander Sydnor gather enough evidence to arrest Stanfield and most of his top lieutenants, seizing a large quantity of drugs. Stanfield suspects that Michael is an informant, and orders him killed. Michael realizes he is being set up and kills Snoop instead. A wanted man, he leaves Bug with an Aunt and begins a career as a stick-up

The Wire man. With his support system gone, Dukie lives with drug addicts. McNulty tells Kima Greggs about his fabrications to prevent her wasting time on the case. Greggs tells Daniels, who, along with Rhonda Pearlman, takes this news to Carcetti, who orders a cover-up because of the issue's importance to his campaign. Davis is acquitted, but Freamon uses the threat of federal prosecution to blackmail him for information. Davis reveals Levy has a mole in the courthouse from whom he illegally purchases copies of sealed indictments. Herc tells Levy that the Stanfield case was probably based on an illegal wiretap, something which would jeopardize the entire case. After Levy reveals this to Pearlman, she uses Levy's espionage to blackmail him into agreeing to a plea bargain for his defendants. Levy ensures Stanfield's release on the condition that he permanently retires, while his subordinates will have to accept long sentences. Stanfield sells the connection to The Greeks back to the Co-Op and plans to become a businessman, though indications are that ultimately he will not be able to resist the lure of the corner. When coming up with the money to pay Stanfield for the Greek connection, the Co-Op must pool together their money. During a meeting, Cheese pulls a gun on another member, after putting the gun down, Slim Charles shoots Cheese as revenge for Cheese killing Prop Joe. As the cover-up begins, a copy-cat killing occurs, but McNulty quickly identifies and arrests the culprit. Pearlman tells McNulty and Freamon that they can no longer be allowed to do investigative work and warns of criminal charges if the scandal becomes public. They opt to retire. Haynes attempts to expose Templeton but the managing editors ignore the fabrications and demote anyone critical of their star reporter. Carcetti pressures Daniels to falsify crime statistics to aid his campaign. Daniels refuses and then quietly resigns rather than have his FBI file leaked. In a final montage, McNulty gazes over the city; Freamon enjoys retirement; Templeton wins a Pulitzer; Carcetti becomes Governor; Haynes is sidelined to the copy desk and replaced by Fletcher; Campbell appoints Valchek as commissioner; Carcetti appoints Rawls as Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Dukie continues to use heroin; Michael becomes a stickup boy; Pearlman becomes a judge and Daniels a defense attorney; Bubbles is allowed upstairs where he enjoys a family dinner; Chris serves his life sentence alongside Wee-Bey; the drug trade continues; and the people of Baltimore go on with their lives.

14

Prequel shorts
The Season 5 DVD contains three short prequels depicting short moments in the history of characters in The Wire. The three prequels depict the first meeting between McNulty and Bunk; Proposition Joe as a slick business kid; and young Omar.

Reception
Critical response
The first season received positive reviews from critics,[59][60] some even calling it superior to HBO's better-known "flagship" drama series such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.[61][62][63] One reviewer pointed to the retread of some themes from HBO and David Simon's earlier works, but still found it valuable viewing and particularly resonant because it parallels the war on terror through the chronicling of the war on drugs.[64] Another review postulated that the series might suffer because of its reliance on profanity and slowly drawn-out plot, but was largely positive about the show's characters and intrigue.[38] Despite the critical acclaim, The Wire received poor Nielsen ratings, which Simon attributed to the complexity of the plot; a poor time slot; heavy use of esoteric slang, particularly among the gangster characters; and a predominantly black cast.[65] Critics felt the show was testing the attention span of its audience and felt that it was mistimed in the wake of the launch of the successful crime drama The Shield on FX.[64] However, anticipation for a release of the first season on DVD was high at Entertainment Weekly.[66]

The Wire The Guardian described the second season as even more powerful than the first and praised it for deconstructing the show's central foundations with a willingness to explore new areas.[39] One reviewer with the Boston Phoenix was of the opinion that the subculture of the docks was not as absorbing as that of the housing projects. However, the review went on to praise the writers for creating a realistic world and populating it with an array of interesting characters.[67] The critical response to the third season remained positive. Entertainment Weekly named The Wire the best show of 2004, describing it as "the smartest, deepest and most resonant drama on TV." They credited the complexity of the show for its poor ratings.[68] The Baltimore City Paper was so concerned that the show might be cancelled that it published a list of ten reasons to keep it on the air, including strong characterization, Omar Little, an unabashedly honest representation of real world problems. It also worried that the loss of the show would have a negative impact on Baltimore's economy.[69] At the close of the third season, The Wire was still struggling to maintain its ratings and the show faced possible cancellation.[70] Creator David Simon blamed the show's low ratings in part on its competition against Desperate Housewives and worried that expectations for HBO dramas had changed following the success of The Sopranos.[71] As the fourth season was about to begin, almost two years after the previous season's end, Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that The Wire "has tackled the drug war in this country as it simultaneously explores race, poverty and 'the death of the American working class,' the failure of political systems to help the people they serve, and the tyranny of lost hope. Few series in the history of television have explored the plight of inner-city African Americans and nonenot onehas done it as well."[72] The New York Times called the fourth season of The Wire "its best season yet."[73] Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times was more reserved in his praise, calling it the "most ambitious" show on television, but faulting it for its complexity and the slow development of the plotline.[74] The Los Angeles Times took the rare step of devoting an editorial to the show, stating that "even in what is generally acknowledged to be something of a golden era for thoughtful and entertaining dramasboth on cable channels and on network TVThe Wire stands out."[75] TIME magazine especially praised the fourth season, stating that "no other TV show has ever loved a city so well, damned it so passionately, or sung it so searingly."[76] The website Metacritic, which gathers reviews from news sources and translates them into a percentage score, assigned The Wire's fourth season a weighted average score of 98%, the highest for any television show since Metacritic began tracking them in 2005.[4] Several reviewers have called it the best show on television, including TIME,[76] Entertainment Weekly,[68] the Chicago Tribune,[77] Slate,[57] the San Francisco Chronicle,[78] the Philadelphia Daily News[79] and the British newspaper The Guardian,[39] which ran a week-by-week blog following every episode,[80] also collected in a book, The Wire Re-up.[81] Charlie Brooker, a columnist for The Guardian, has been particularly enthusiastic in his praise of the show, both in his "Screen Burn" column and in his BBC Four television series Screenwipe, calling it possibly the greatest show of the last 20 years.[82][83] In 2009, TIME listed it as the best television series of the 2000s (decade).[84] 'The Wire Files', an online collection of articles published in darkmatter Journal critically analyzes The Wire's racialized politics and aesthetics of representation.[85] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "The deft writingwhich used the cop-genre format to give shape to creator David Simon's scathing social critiqueswas matched by one of the deepest benches of acting talent in TV history."[86] President of the United States Barack Obama has said that The Wire is his favorite television series.[87] 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature Laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa, wrote a very positive critical review of the series in the Spanish journal El Pas.[88] Internationally, the mayor of Reykjavk, Jn Gnarr, has gone so far as to say that he would not enter a coalition government with anyone who has not watched the series.[89]

15

The Wire

16

Awards
The Wire was nominated for, and won a wide variety of awards, including nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for "Middle Ground" and "30", nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series in each of its five seasons; and nominations for the Television Critics Association Awards (TCA), and Writers Guild of America Awards (WGA). Most of the awards the series won were in seasons 4 and 5. These included TCA's Heritage Award for season 5 and WGA's Award for Best Dramatic Series for season 4, plus Crime Thriller, Eddie, Edgar, Directors Guild of America, and Irish Film and Television awards. The series also won ASCAP, Peabody and Artios awards for season 2. The series won the Broadcasting & Cable critics poll for Best Drama (season 4) and won Time's critics choice for top television show for seasons 1 and 3.

Academia
In the years following the end of the series' run, several colleges and universities such as Johns Hopkins, Brown University, and Harvard Law School have offered classes on The Wire in disciplines ranging from law to sociology to film studies. Phillips Academy, a boarding high school in Massachusetts, offers a similar course as well.[90][91] University of Texas at San Antonio offers a course where the series is taught as a work of literary fiction.[92] In an article published in The Washington Post, Anmol Chaddha and William Julius Wilson explain why Harvard chose The Wire as curriculum material for their course on urban inequality: "Though scholars know that deindustrialization, crime and prison, and the education system are deeply intertwined, they must often give focused attention to just one subject in relative isolation, at the expense of others. With the freedom of artistic expression, The Wire can be more creative. It can weave together the range of forces that shape the lives of the urban poor."[93] University of York's Head of Sociology, Roger Burrows, said in The Independent that the show "makes a fantastic contribution to their understanding of contemporary urbanism", and is "a contrast to dry, dull, hugely expensive studies that people carry out on the same issues".[94]

Broadcasters
HBO aired the five seasons of the show in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008, respectively. New episodes were shown once a week, occasionally skipping one or two weeks in favor of other programming. Starting with the fourth season, subscribers to the HBO On Demand service were able to see each episode of the season six days earlier.[95] American basic cable network BET also aired the show. BET adds commercial breaks, blurs some nudity, and mutes some profanity. Much of the waterfront storyline from the second season is edited out from the BET broadcasts.[96] In the United Kingdom, the show has been broadcast on FX, and recently aired on terrestrial television on BBC Two.[97] Although controversially it was broadcast at 23:20[98] and had no BBC iPlayer catchup available.[99] In a world first, British newspaper The Guardian made the first episode of the first season available to stream on its website for a brief period.[100] In Ireland, all episodes were aired on public service channel TG4 approximately 6 months after the original air dates on HBO. Season 1 was aired on 3e in late 2008 but there are no plans to show any further seasons. In Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation purchased the rights to show the entire series on its digital station, ABC2. It commenced screening on September 1, 2009. In France it airs under the title Sur coute ("wiretapped") previously on the pay channel Jimmy and later France . The Polish channel TVN shows the series under the name Prawo ulicy ("law of the street"). The Swedish public service network SVT has shown the first four seasons of the series. In Norway, NRK aired the first season of the show in the autumn of 2007. In Israel, the show aired on the Xtra Hot channel, and on Yes Action under the name HaSmuya ( The Covert Unit). The show airs in Canada on The Movie Network and Movie Central. In Finland the series is shown on Subtv and MTV3 channels under the name Langalla ("On the wire"). The show has been broadcast in Hungary on Duna TV since March 2007 under the name Drt ("Wire"). Since September

The Wire 2008 the series is broadcast in Germany (Foxchannel, Pay-TV) under its original name, but dubbed into German. The show is also broadcast in Asia on Cinemax since May 2009. In the Netherlands and Belgium the show has started its first run on June 1, 2009 on the NBC Universal cable channel 13th Street. In the Middle East, MBC Action airs the show routinely. After being available only on DVD, the Croatian premiere of the series happened in September 2011 on HRT.[101]

17

DVD releases
Season Region 1 1 October 12, [102] 2004 January 25, [105] 2005 August 8, [108] 2006 Release dates Region 2 April 18, [103] 2005 October 10, [106] 2005 February 5, [109] 2007 Region 4 May 11, [104] 2005 May 3, [107] 2006 August 13, [110] 2008 13 Three audio commentaries by crew members 5 Episodes Special features Discs

12

Two audio commentaries by cast and crew members

12

Five audio commentaries by crew members Q&A with David Simon and Creative Team, courtesy of the Museum of Television & Radio Conversation with David Simon at Eugene Lang College, [33] The New School for Liberal Arts Six audio commentaries by cast and crew members "It's All Connected" featurette "The Game is Real" featurette Six audio commentaries by cast and crew members "The Wire: The Last Word" A documentary exploring the role of the media "The Wire Odyssey" A retrospective of the first four seasons The Wire Prequels From the Wrap Party Gag Reels... Collects the previously released box-sets

December 4, [111] 2007

March 10, [112] 2008

August 13, [113] 2008

13

August 12, [114] 2008

September 22, [115] 2008

February 2, [116] 2010

10

All

December 9, [117] 2008

December 8, [118] 2008

February 2, [119] 2010

60

23

The DVD sets have been favorably received, though some critics have faulted them for a lack of special features.[11][12][120][121]

References
[1] http:/ / www. hbo. com/ the-wire [2] David Simon (2005). "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [3] Traister, Rebbeca (September 15, 2007). "The best TV show of all time" (http:/ / www. salon. com/ entertainment/ tv/ feature/ 2007/ 09/ 15/ best_show). Salon.com. . Retrieved March 7, 2008. [4] "Wire, The Season 4" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ tv/ the-wire/ season-4). Metacritic. . Retrieved March 7, 2008. [5] "Wire, The Season 5" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ tv/ the-wire/ season-5). Metacritic. . Retrieved March 7, 2008. [6] "The Wire: arguably the greatest television programme ever made" (http:/ / www. telegraph. co. uk/ news/ uknews/ 5095500/ The-Wire-arguably-the-greatest-television-programme-ever-made. html). Telegraph (London). April 2, 2009. . Retrieved April 2, 2009. [7] Wilde, Jon (July 21, 2007). "The Wire is unmissable television" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ culture/ tvandradioblog/ 2007/ jul/ 21/ thewireisunmissabletelevis). London: guardian.co.uk. . Retrieved September 7, 2009. [8] Carey, Kevin (February 13, 2007). "A show of honesty" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ commentisfree/ 2007/ feb/ 13/ thewire). London: guardian.co.uk. . Retrieved September 7, 2009. [9] Ian Rothkirch (2002). "What drugs have not destroyed, the war on them has" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ tv/ int/ 2002/ 06/ 29/ simon/ index. html). Salon.com. .

The Wire
[10] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. pp.1819, 3539. [11] Chris Barsanti (2004). "Totally Wired" (http:/ / www. slantmagazine. com/ dvd/ review/ the-wire-the-complete-first-season/ 477). Slant Magazine. . [12] Bill Wyman. "The Wire The Complete Second Season" (http:/ / www. npr. org/ templates/ story/ story. php?storyId=4512945). NPR. . [13] Joel Murphy (2005). "One on one with... Lance Reddick" (http:/ / www. hobotrashcan. com/ 2005/ 10/ 25/ one-on-one-with-lance-reddick-2/ ). Hobo Trashcan. . [14] Joel Murphy (2005). "One on One With Michael K. Williams" (http:/ / www. hobotrashcan. com/ 2005/ 08/ 23/ one-on-one-with-michael-k-williams/ ). Hobo Trashcan. . [15] Deford, Susan (February 14, 2008). "Despite Past With Bill Clinton, Ulman Switches Allegiance" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2008/ 02/ 13/ AR2008021301620. html). The Washington Post. . Retrieved May 13, 2010. [16] David Zurawik (July 12, 2006). "Local figures, riveting drama put The Wire in a class by itself" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 2006-07-12/ features/ 0607120099_1_simon-wire-entire-season). The Baltimore Sun. . [17] "Character profile Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [18] "Character profile Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dennis_mello. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [19] "The Wire season 1 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_1. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [20] "The Wire season 2 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_2. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [21] "Character profile Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ gary_dipasquale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 12, 2008. [22] Simon, David (1991, 2006). Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. New York: Owl Books. [23] "The Wire + Oz" (http:/ / cosmodromemag. com/ content/ the-wire-oz-clusterfuck). Cosmodrome Magazine. January 26, 2008. . Retrieved February 11, 2009. [24] Erik Dellums filmography (http:/ / www. IMDB. com/ name/ nm0217529/ ). Retrieved December 24, 2009. [25] Peter Gerety filmography (http:/ / www. IMDB. com/ name/ nm0314253/ ). Retrieved November 11, 2009. [26] Clark Johnson filmography (http:/ / www. filmreference. com/ film/ 95/ Clark-Johnson. html). Retrieved November 11, 2009. [27] Toni Lewis filmography (http:/ / www. IMDB. com/ name/ nm0507839/ ). Retrieved December 24, 2009. [28] Callie Thorne filmography (http:/ / www. IMDB. com/ name/ nm0861361/ ). Retrieved November 11, 2009. [29] "Org Chart The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved October 16, 2007. [30] "The Wire season 3 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_3. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [31] "The Wire season 4 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_4. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [32] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about The Wire" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . [33] "The Wire Complete Third Season on DVD", ASIN B000FTCLSU [34] Birnbaum, Robert. "Interview: George Pelecanos" (http:/ / www. identitytheory. com/ interviews/ birnbaum100. html). Identity Theory. . Retrieved September 17, 2007. [35] Goldman, Eric. "IGN Exclusive Interview: The Wire's David Simon" (http:/ / tv. ign. com/ articles/ 742/ 742350p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved September 27, 2007. [36] Alvarez 10. [37] ""The Wire" on HBO: Play Or Get Played, Exclusive Q&A With David Simon (page 17)" (http:/ / www. borderline-productions. com/ TheWireHBO/ exclusive-17. html). 2006. . Retrieved October 16, 2007. [38] Todd Weiser (June 17, 2002). "New HBO series The Wire taps into summer programming" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080526114945rn_1/ media. www. michigandaily. com/ media/ storage/ paper851/ news/ 2002/ 06/ 17/ Arts/ New-Hbo. Series. the. Wire. Taps. Into. Summer. Programming-1411494. shtml). The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. michigandaily. com/ media/ storage/ paper851/ news/ 2002/ 06/ 17/ Arts/ New-Hbo. Series. the. Wire. Taps. Into. Summer. Programming-1411494. shtml) on May 26, 2008. . Retrieved September 10, 2010. [39] Jim Shelley (August 6, 2005). "Call The Cops" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ media/ 2005/ aug/ 06/ tvandradio. guide2). London: The Guardian Unlimited. . Retrieved April 9, 2010. [40] "Joe Chappelle biography" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ joe_chappelle. shtml). HBO. . Retrieved October 13, 2007. [41] "On The Corner: After Three Seasons Shaping The Wire's Background Music, Blake Leyh Mines Homegrown Sounds For Season Four" (http:/ / www. citypaper. com/ music/ story. asp?id=12203). Baltimore City Paper. 2006. . [42] ""The Wire" on HBO: Play Or Get Played, Exclusive Q&A With David Simon (page 16)" (http:/ / www. borderline-productions. com/ TheWireHBO/ exclusive-16. html). 2006. . Retrieved October 17, 2007. [43] "Character profile Walon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ walon. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved March 12, 2008. [44] "Nonesuch to Release Music from Five Years of "The Wire"" (http:/ / www. nonesuch. com/ journal/ nonesuch-to-release-music-from-five-years-of-the-wire#TheWireHBO). November 12, 2007. . Retrieved November 14, 2007. [45] Richard Vine (2005). "Totally Wired" (http:/ / blogs. guardian. co. uk/ theguide/ archives/ tv_and_radio/ 2005/ 01/ totally_wired. html). The Guardian Unlimited (London). . Retrieved April 9, 2010.

18

The Wire
[46] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [47] William K. Rashbaum (January 15, 2005). "Police Say a Queens Drug Ring Watched Too Much Television" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2005/ 01/ 15/ nyregion/ 15drug. html?ex=1154664000& en=c6b05200199da2db& ei=5070) (Subscription required). The New York Times. . [48] Jesse Walker (2004). "David Simon Says" (http:/ / reason. com/ archives/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ david-simon-says). Reason. . [49] Brian Lowry (December 21, 2007). "'The Wire' gets the newsroom right" (http:/ / www. variety. com/ article/ VR1117978111?refCatId=1682). Variety. . Retrieved December 22, 2007. [50] Carol D., Leoning (December 11, 2006). "'The Wire': Young Adults See Bits of Their Past" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2006/ 12/ 10/ AR2006121001034. html). The Washington Post. p.B01. . Retrieved March 17, 2007. [51] Alvarez 28, 3539. [52] Alvarez 12. [53] "InterviewsEd Burns" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ ed_burns. shtml). HBO. 2006. . [54] "Behind The Scenes Part 1A New Chapter Begins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ behindthescenes/ ontheset/ part1. shtml). HBO. 2006. . [55] David Simon (2003). "David Simon Answers Fans' Questions" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20031204070427/ http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ index. html). HBO. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ index. html) on December 4, 2003. . [56] "Season 4 Ep. 50 Final Grades Synopsis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ the-wire/ episodes#/ the-wire/ episodes/ 4/ 50-final-grades/ synopsis. html). HBO.com. . Retrieved August 29, 2011. [57] Jacob Weisberg (September 13, 2006). "The Wire on Fire: Analyzing the best show on television" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2149566/ ). Slate. p.1. . [58] NPR interview with Simon broadcast the week of Jan. 12, 2008 [59] "Television Critics Association Introduces 2003 Award Nominees" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20061013052704/ http:/ / tvcritics. org/ press/ 2003/ 06/ television-critics-association. html). Television Critics Association. Archived from the original (http:/ / tvcritics. org/ press/ 2003/ 06/ television-critics-association. html) on October 13, 2006. . Retrieved September 10, 2010. [60] "The Wire: The Complete First Season" (http:/ / www. rottentomatoes. com/ m/ wire_the_complete_first_season/ ?show=all). Rotten Tomatoes. . [61] Alan Sepinwall (August 6, 2006). "Taut 'Wire' has real strength.". Newark Star-Ledger. p.1. [62] Aaron Barnhart (2006). "'The Wire' aims higher: TV's finest hour is back" (http:/ / blogs. kansascity. com/ tvbarn/ 2006/ 09/ the_wire_aims_h. html). Kansas City Star. . [63] Leslie Ryan (2003). "Tapping The Wire; HBO Police Drama Tops Television Week's Semiannual Critics Poll List" (http:/ / goliath. ecnext. com/ coms2/ gi_0199-2945445/ Tapping-The-Wire-HBO-Police. html). Television Week. . [64] Robert David Sullivan (2002). "Slow Hand" (http:/ / www. bostonphoenix. com/ boston/ arts/ tv/ documents/ 02394694. htm). Boston Phoenix. . [65] David Simon (2004). "Ask The Wire: David Simon" (http:/ / boards. hbo. com/ click. jspa?searchID=-1& messageID=100296266). HBO. . [66] "DVD Request of the Week" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,465300,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. July 11, 2003. . [67] Jon Garelick (2004). ""A man must have a code"listening in on The Wire." (http:/ / www. bostonphoenix. com/ boston/ arts/ tv/ documents/ 04139983. asp). Boston Phoenix. . [68] Gillian Flynn (December 23, 2004). "The Best of 2004" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1009257,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . [69] Brent McCabe, Van Smith (2005). "Down To The Wire: Top 10 Reasons Not To Cancel The Wire." (http:/ / cpgo. citypaper. com/ film/ story. asp?id=9538). Baltimore City Paper. . [70] Dana Stevens (2004). "Moyers Says "Ciao" to Now, but HBO had better not retire The Wire." (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2111014/ ). Slate magazine. . [71] Marisa Guthrie (2004). "The Wire fears HBO may snip it" (http:/ / www. nydailynews. com/ archives/ entertainment/ 2004/ 12/ 15/ 2004-12-15__the_wire__fears_hbo_may_sni. html). New York Daily News. . Retrieved September 1, 2010. [72] Tim Goodman (September 6, 2006). "Yes, HBO's 'Wire' is challenging. It's also a masterpiece." (http:/ / www. sfgate. com/ cgi-bin/ article. cgi?file=/ c/ a/ 2006/ 09/ 06/ DDG7BKV7HK26. DTL). San Francisco Chronicle. . Retrieved August 25, 2010. [73] Virginia Heffernan (September 9, 2006). "Higher Learning in the Drug Trade for Four Baltimore Students" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2006/ 09/ 09/ arts/ television/ 09wire. html?ex=1315454400& en=678cccd2cfd5056f& ei=5088& partner=rssnyt& emc=rss). The New York Times. . Retrieved April 9, 2010. [74] Doug Elfman (2006). "Critic Reviews for The Wire Season 4 at Metacritic" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ tv/ the-wire/ season-4/ critic-reviews). Chicago Sun-Times. . [75] Los Angeles Times (September 2, 2006). "High 'Wire' Act" (http:/ / articles. latimes. com/ 2006/ sep/ 02/ opinion/ ed-wire02). Los Angeles Times. . [76] James Poniewozik (December 17, 2006). "10 Best TV Shows" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,1570781,00. html). TIME. . [77] Steve Johnson (June 1, 2003). "Why HBO's 'The Wire' is the best show on TV" (http:/ / articles. chicagotribune. com/ 2003-06-01/ news/ 0306010314_1_baltimore-police-reporter-drug-bad-show). Chicago Tribune. .

19

The Wire
[78] Tim Goodman (May 30, 2003). "HBO scores again with a stellar second season of 'The Wire'" (http:/ / www. sfgate. com/ cgi-bin/ article. cgi?f=/ c/ a/ 2003/ 05/ 30/ DD157653. DTL). San Francisco Chronicle. . [79] "It's time to get 'Wire'-d after all, it's the best show on TV" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20061130235642/ http:/ / www. philly. com/ mld/ dailynews/ living/ 15467592. htm). Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. philly. com/ mld/ dailynews/ living/ 15467592. htm) on November 30, 2006. . Retrieved September 10, 2010. [80] "The Wire re-up" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ media/ series/ the-wire-re-up). The Guardian (London). August 18, 2009. . Retrieved April 1, 2009. [81] "The Wire re-up" (http:/ / www. guardianbookshop. co. uk/ BerteShopWeb/ viewProduct. do?ISBN=9780852652213). . Retrieved December 5, 2009. [82] "Charlie Brooker: The Wire" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ media/ 2007/ jul/ 21/ tvandradio. guide). London: The Guardian. July 21, 2007. . Retrieved September 10, 2010. [83] "Unknown". Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe. BBC Four. "The best show... of the last twenty years is another HBO shownot as well knowncalled The Wire. The Wire is quite simply a stunning piece of work... it actually physically pains me to use this phrase, because anyone who uses it sounds like an absolute tosser, but it is, truly, multilayered; it is just fucking brilliant." Charlie Brooker [84] "The Wire Best Movies, TV, Books and Theater of the Decade" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ specials/ packages/ article/ 0,28804,1949837_1948607_1948591,00. html). TIME. December 29, 2009. . Retrieved February 26, 2011. [85] "The Wire Files darkmatter Journal" (http:/ / www. darkmatter101. org/ site/ category/ journal/ issues/ 4-the-wire/ ). May 29, 2009. . Retrieved June 4, 2009. [86] Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "THE 100 Greatest MOVIES, TV SHOWS, ALBUMS, BOOKS, CHARACTERS, SCENES, EPISODES, SONGS, DRESSES, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND TRENDS THAT ENTERTAINED US OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84 [87] "Barack Obama on his favorite TV show" (http:/ / featuresblogs. chicagotribune. com/ entertainment_tv/ 2008/ 01/ barack-obama-on. html). Chicago Tribune. January 14, 2008. . Retrieved September 5, 2010. [88] "Los dioses indiferentes" (http:/ / www. elpais. com/ articulo/ opinion/ dioses/ indiferentes/ elpepiopi/ 20111023elpepiopi_11/ Tes). El Pas. October 23, 2011. . Retrieved November 1, 2011. [89] Magnusson, Haukur S. (April 6, 2010). "He Really Did It!" (http:/ / www. grapevine. is/ Features/ ReadArticle/ He-really-did-it-Jon-Gnarr-Haukur-Magnusson). The Reykjavik Grapevine Features. . Retrieved March 14, 2012. [90] "Getting Down to 'The Wire'" (http:/ / www. andover. edu/ About/ Newsroom/ Pages/ GettingdowntoTheWire. aspx). Phillips Academy. . Retrieved February 2, 2011. [91] Walker, Childs (November 26, 2010). "Hopkins students discover Baltimore through 'The Wire'" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 2010-11-25/ news/ bs-md-wire-class-hopkins-20101125_1_baltimore-drama-hopkins-students-baltimore-schools). The Baltimore Sun. . Retrieved November 26, 2010. [92] "Spring 2012 Courses: 4000-Level" (http:/ / colfa. utsa. edu/ English/ spring124000. html). The University of Texas at San Antonio. . Retrieved February 3, 2012. [93] Chaddha, Anmol (September 12, 2010). "Why we're teaching 'The Wire' at Harvard" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2010/ 09/ 10/ AR2010091002676. html). The Washington Post. . Retrieved September 21, 2010. [94] Silverman, Rosa (May 16, 2010). "Sociology degree students to study 'The Wire'" (http:/ / www. independent. co. uk/ news/ education/ education-news/ sociology-degree-students-to-study-the-wire-1974850. html). The Independent (London). . Retrieved November 28, 2010. [95] "The Wire, Def Comedy Jam Set For On-Demand Premieres" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080617150101/ http:/ / www. worldscreen. com/ newscurrent. php?filename=hbo71206. htm). World Screen News. 2006. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. worldscreen. com/ newscurrent. php?filename=hbo71206. htm) on June 17, 2008. . Retrieved September 10, 2010. [96] "BET's editing butchers 'The Wire' story line" (http:/ / www. dailybruin. com/ index. php/ article/ 2007/ 04/ ibets_editing_butchers_wire_story_linei). The Daily Bruin. 2007. . [97] "BBC Two to show US TV's The Wire" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ entertainment/ 7940061. stm). BBC News. March 12, 2009. . Retrieved March 12, 2009. [98] "BBC BBC Two Programmes The Wire Episodes from 2009" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ programmes/ b00jnwlc/ episodes/ 2009). BBC. April 23, 2009. . Retrieved April 23, 2009. [99] "Why no Wire?" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ blogs/ bbcinternet/ 2009/ 03/ why_no_wire. html). BBC. April 23, 2009. . Retrieved April 23, 2009. [100] Brook, Stephen (July 20, 2007). "Guardian website to stream The Wire" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ media/ 2007/ jul/ 20/ theguardian. digitalmedia). London: The Guardian. . Retrieved July 20, 2007. [101] " HRT: ica (in Croatian) (http:/ / www. hrt. hr/ index. php?id=94& tx_ttnews[tt_news]=128998& tx_ttnews[backPid]=93& cHash=baf892aa84)". HRT. Retrieved October 13, 2011. [102] "The Wire: The Complete First Season (2002)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B0002ERXC2). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [103] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B0007IK5Z0). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010.

20

The Wire
[104] "Wire, The The Complete 1st Season (5 Disc Box Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 778991). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [105] "The Wire: The Complete Second Season (2003)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B0006IUD9Y). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [106] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 2" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B000A529ZE). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [107] "Wire, The The Complete 2nd Season (5 Disc Box Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 785925). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [108] "The Wire: The Complete Third Season (2004)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B000FTCLSU). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [109] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 3" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B000KGGP0S). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [110] "Wire, The The Complete 3rd Season (5 Disc Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 800431). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [111] "The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season (2005)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B000QXDJLI). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [112] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 4" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B000XPC4ZG). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [113] "Wire, The The Complete 4th Season (5 Disc Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 800432). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [114] "The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season (2008)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B00123BY6S). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [115] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 5" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B0016OZ9Y6). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [116] "Wire, The The Complete 5th Season (4 Disc Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 810534). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [117] "The Wire: The Complete Series (2008)" (http:/ / www. amazon. com/ dp/ B001FA1P1W). Amazon.com. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [118] "The Wire: Complete HBO Season 15" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ dp/ B001BBHG1S). Amazon.co.uk. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [119] "Wire, The The Complete Series (24 Disc Box Set)" (http:/ / www. ezydvd. com. au/ item. zml/ 810535). EzyDVD.com.au. . Retrieved September 11, 2010. [120] Jason Clark (August 1, 2006). "The Wire: The Complete Third Season" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1219875,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . [121] James Poniewozik (August 14, 2006). "5 stellar series to catch up with on DVD" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,1223358,00. html). TIME. .

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Further reading
Tiffany Potter (ed.), C. W. Marshall (ed.): The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television. Continuum international Publishing Group 2009, ISBN 9780826438041 Rafael Alvarez: The Wire: Truth Be Told. Simon & Schuster 2004, ISBN 0743497325 Brian G. Rose: The Wire. In: Gary Richard Edgerton (ed.), Jeffrey P. Jones (ed.): The Essential HBO Reader. University of Kentucky Press 2008, ISBN 9780813124520, pp.8291 ( online copy (http://books.google.com/ books?id=odSAPSA1JFEC&pg=PA82) at Google Books) Peter Dreier, John Atlas: The Wire Bush-Era Fable about America's Urban Poor?. City & Community Volume 8, Issue 3, pp.329340, September 2009 ( online copy (http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/publications/The Wire Bush Era Fable.pdf)) Helena Sheehan, Sheamus Sweeney: The wire and the World: Narrative and Metanarrative. Jump Cut, 51 (Spring 2009), ISSN 0146-5546 ( online copy (http://doras.dcu.ie/2459/))

The Wire

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External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire) The Wire (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/) at the Internet Movie Database The Wire (http://www.tv.com/show/8800/summary.html) at TV.com Play or Get Played (http://www.borderline-productions.com/TheWireHBO/exclusive.html) Exclusive interviews with David Simon and cast members. Ten Thousand Bullets (http://www.citypages.com/2006-07-19/news/ten-thousand-bullets) An interview with George Pelecanos. George Pelecanos on The Wire and D.C. pulp fiction (http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2006/07/ george_pelecano.php) A supplement to "Ten Thousand Bullets." "The Rhetoric of The Wire" (http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/film/movie/contents/ rhetoric_of_the_wire.pdf) Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism, No.1, 2010 Gang and Drug-Related Homicide: Baltimore's Successful Enforcement Strategy (http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ bja/gang/pfv.html) Ed Burns discusses some of the investigations and individuals which inspired The Wire. A collection of interviews with Wire cast members (http://www.hobotrashcan.com/interviews/thewire.php) Interviews include Michael K. Williams, Lance Reddick, Robert Wisdom, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and more.

Reason Magazine Interview with Ed Burns (http://reason.com/archives/2008/05/23/30-years-of-failure) The Wire co-creator talks about how Baltimore inspires and informs The Wire, and opinions on the "War on Drugs" from his and other co-creators' experiences. The New Yorker Profiles David Simon (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?printable=true) A long profile article about David Simon with info about season five as well as his next project.

David Simon

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David Simon
David Simon

Born

1960 (age5152) Washington, D.C., United States

Occupation Author, journalist, television writer, producer Nationality American Subjects Crime fiction, true crime

David Simon (born 1960) is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns. The former book was the basis for the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street, on which Simon served as a writer and producer. Simon adapted the latter book into the HBO mini-series The Corner. He is the creator of the HBO television series The Wire, for which he served as executive producer, head writer, and show runner for all five seasons. He adapted the non-fiction book Generation Kill into an HBO mini-series and served as the show runner for the project. He was selected as one of the 2010 MacArthur Fellows[1] and named an Utne Reader visionary in 2011.[2] Simon also co-created the HBO series Treme with Eric Overmyer, which ended its second season in 2011.

Biography
Born in Washington, D.C., Simon attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland and wrote for the school newspaper, The Tattler. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. While at college he wrote for The Diamondback and became friends with contemporary David Mills.[3]

Journalism
Upon leaving college he worked as a police reporter at The Baltimore Sun from 1982 to 1995.[4] He spent most of his career covering the crime beat.[4][5] A colleague has said that Simon loved journalism and felt it was "God's work".[5] Simon says that he was initially altruistic and was inspired to enter journalism by the Washington Post's coverage of Watergate but became increasingly pragmatic as he gained experience.[5] Later in his career he aimed to tell the best

David Simon possible story without "cheating it".[5] Simon was a union captain when the writing staff went on strike in 1987 over benefit cuts.[6] He remained angry after the strike ended and began to feel uncomfortable in the writing room.[6] He searched for a reason to justify a leave of absence and settled on the idea of writing a novel.[6] "I got out of journalism because some sons of bitches bought my newspaper and it stopped being fun," says Simon.[7] In an interview in Reason in 2004, Simon said that since leaving the newspaper business he has become more cynical about the power of journalism.[8] "One of the sad things about contemporary journalism is that it actually matters very little. The world now is almost inured to the power of journalism. The best journalism would manage to outrage people. And people are less and less inclined to outrage," said Simon.[8] "I've become increasingly cynical about the ability of daily journalism to effect any kind of meaningful change. I was pretty dubious about it when I was a journalist, but now I think it's remarkably ineffectual."[8]

24

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

Simon's leave of absence from The Sun resulted in his first book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991). The book was based on his experiences shadowing the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit during 1988.[4] The idea came from a conversation on Christmas Eve 1985 in the unit office, where Det. Brian Lansey told him "If someone just wrote down what happens in this place for one year, they'd have a goddamn book."[6] Simon approached the police department and the editors of the paper to receive approval. The detectives were initially slow to accept him, but he persevered in an attempt to "seem like part of the furniture". However, he soon ingratiated himself with the detectives, saying in the closing notes of the book "I shared with the detectives a year's worth of fast-food runs, bar arguments and station house humor: Even for a trained observer, it was hard to remain aloof."[5] During one instance, Simon even assisted with an arrest. Two detectives Simon was riding with pulled their car to a curb to apprehend two suspects, but Detective Terry McLarney got his trenchcoat caught in a seat belt when he tried to exit the car. McLarney asked Simon for help, and Simon helped apprehend and search one of the suspects.[9] The book won the 1992 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book.[10] The Associated Press called it "a true-crime classic".[9] The Library Journal also highly recommended it, and Newsday described it as "one of the most engrossing police procedural mystery books ever written".[9] Simon credits his time researching the book as altering his writing style and informing later work. He learned to be more patient in research and writing, and said a key lesson was not promoting himself but concentrating on his subjects.[5] Simon told Baltimore's City Paper in 2003 that Homicide was not traditional journalism. "I felt Homicide the book and The Corner were not traditional journalism in the sense of coming from some artificially omniscient, objective point of view," said Simon. "They're immersed in the respective cultures that they cover in a way that traditional journalism often isn't."[7]

Homicide: Life on the Street

The publishers of Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets were eager for a screen adaptation and submitted it to numerous directors but there was little interest.[6] Simon suggested that they send the book to Baltimore native and film director Barry Levinson. Levinson's assistant Gail Mutrux enjoyed the book and both she and Levinson became attached as producers.[6] The project became the award-winning TV series Homicide: Life on the Street (19931999), on which Simon worked as a writer and producer.[4] Simon was asked by Mutrux to write the show's pilot episode but declined, feeling he did not have the necessary expertise.[11] He collaborated with his old college friend David Mills to write the season two premiere "Bop Gun".[5][12] The episode was based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana and featured Robin Williams in a guest starring role that garnered the actor an Emmy nomination. Simon and Mills won the WGA Award for Best Writing in a Drama for the episode.[5] Simon left his job with the Baltimore Sun in 1995 to work full time on Homicide: Life on the Street during the production of the show's fourth season. Simon wrote the teleplay for the season four episodes "Justice: Part 2"[13]

David Simon and "Scene of the Crime" (with Anya Epstein).[14] For season five he was the show's story editor and continued to contribute teleplays writing the episodes "Bad Medicine"[15] and "Wu's on First?" (again with Epstein).[16] He was credited as a producer on the show's sixth and seventh seasons. He wrote the teleplays for parts two and three of the sixth season premiere "Blood Ties"[17][18] (the latter marking his third collaboration with Epstein) and provided the story for the later sixth season episodes "Full Court Press"[19] and "Finnegan's Wake" (with James Yoshimura).[20] He provided the story for the seventh season episodes "Shades of Gray" (with Julie Martin),[21] "The Same Coin" (again with Yoshimura)[22] and "Self Defense" (with Eric Overmyer).[23] Simon wrote the story and teleplay for the seventh season episodes "The Twenty Percent Solution"[24] and "Sideshow: Part 2".[25] Simon, Martin and teleplay writer T. J. English won the Humanitas Prize in the 60 minutes category for the episode "Shades of Gray".[26] Simon was nominated for a second WGA Award for Best Writing in a Drama for his work on "Finnegan's Wake" with Yoshimura and Mills (who wrote the teleplay).[27] Simon has said that he thought the show was a "remarkable drama" but that it did not reflect the book.[6] He has also said that when writing for the show he had to put his experiences of the real detectives aside as the characters became quite different, particularly in their more philosophical approach to the job.[11] Simon said that TV must find shorthand ways of referencing anything real.[5]

25

The Corner
In 1997 he co-authored, with Ed Burns, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, the true account of a West Baltimore community dominated by a heavy drug market.[8][28] Simon credits his editor John Sterling with the suggestion that he observe a single drug corner.[4] He took a second leave of absence from the Baltimore Sun in 1993 to research the project.[5][29] Simon became close to one of his subjects, drug addict Gary McCullough, and was devastated by his death while he was writing the project.[5] Simon says that he approached the research with the abstract idea that his subjects may die because of their addictions but it was not possible to fully prepare for the reality.[5] He remains grateful to his subjects saying "This involved people's whole lives, there's no privacy in it. That was an enormous gift which many, many people gave us. Even the most functional were at war with themselves. But they were not foolish people. And they made that choice."[5] The Corner was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times.[30] Simon again returned to his journalism career after finishing the book but felt further changed by his experiences. He said he "was less enamored of the braggadocio, all that big, we're-really-having-an-impact talk" and no longer believed that they were making a difference; he left his job at The Sun within a year for work on NBC's Homicide.[5] Soon after Homicide concluded Simon co-wrote (with David Mills) and produced The Corner as a six-hour TV miniseries for HBO.[6] The show received three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Movie, for Simon and Mills.[6]

The Wire
Simon was the creator, show runner, executive producer and head writer of the HBO drama series The Wire.[29] Many of The Wire's characters and incidents also came from Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.[31] After a critically acclaimed fourth season, Simon signed on to produce the fifth and final season of The Wire, which focused on the role of mass media in society.[32] He again worked with Ed Burns on creating the show. They originally set out to create a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Burns when working on protracted investigations of violent drug dealers using surveillance technology. During this time Burns had often faced frustration with the bureaucracy of the police department, which Simon equated with his own ordeals as a police reporter for The Baltimore Sun. Writing against the background of current events, including institutionalized corporate crime at Enron and institutional dysfunction in the Catholic Church, the show became "more of a treatise about institutions and individuals than a straight cop show."[33]

David Simon They chose to take The Wire to HBO because of their existing working relationship from The Corner. Owing to its reputation for exploring new areas, HBO was initially dubious about including a cop drama in their lineup, but eventually agreed to produce the pilot[33][34] after ordering a further two scripts to see how the series would progress.[35] Carolyn Strauss president of HBO entertainment has said that Simon's argument that the most subversive thing HBO could do was invade the networks' "backyard" of police procedurals helped to persuade them.[4] The theme of institutional dysfunction was expanded across different areas of the city as the show progressed. The second season focused on the death of working-class America through examination of the city ports.[36] The third season "reflects on the nature of reform and reformers, and whether there is any possibility that political processes, long calcified, can mitigate against the forces currently arrayed against individuals." [36] For the fourth season Simon again turned to Burns' experience, this time his second career as a Baltimore public school teacher in examining the theme of education.[4][37] The fifth season looked at the media, as well as continuing themes such as politics from earlier seasons. Simon was reunited with his The Corner producers Robert F. Colesberry and Nina K. Noble on The Wire.[32] Simon credits Colesberry for achieving the show's realistic visual feel because of his experience as a director.[38] They recruited Homicide star and director Clark Johnson to helm the pilot episode.[38] The completed pilot was given to HBO in November 2001.[35] Johnson returned to direct the second episode when the show was picked up,[38] and would direct the series finale as well, in addition to starring in the fifth season. Simon approached acclaimed crime fiction authors to write for The Wire. He was recommended the work of George Pelecanos by a colleague while working at the Baltimore Sun because of similarities between their writing. The two writers have much in common including a childhood in Silver Spring, attendance at the University of Maryland and their interest in the "fate of the American city and the black urban poor."[35] Simon did not read Pelecanos initially because of territorial prejudice; Pelecanos is from Washington.[6] Once Simon received further recommendations including one from his wife Laura Lippman he tried Pelecanos' novel The Sweet Forever and changed his mind.[35] He sought out Pelecanos when recruiting writers for The Wire. The two met at the funeral of a mutual friend shortly after Simon delivered the pilot episode.[35] Simon pitched Pelecanos the idea of The Wire as a novel for television about the American city as Pelecanos drove him home.[35] Pelecanos became a regular writer[39] and later a producer for the show's second[40] and third seasons.[41] Simon and Pelcanos collaborated to write the episode "Middle Ground"[42][43] which received the show's first Emmy nomination, in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.[44] Pelecanos left the production staff following the third season to focus on his next novel; Simon has commented that he missed having him working on the show full-time but was pleased that he continued to write for them and was a fan of the resultant book The Night Gardener.[45] Similar to Simon's own experience in researching Homicide Pelecanos spent time embedded with the Washington DC homicide unit to research the book. Crime novelist Dennis Lehane has also written for the series starting with third season.[41][46] Lehane has commented that he was impressed by Simon and Burns' ear for authentic street slang.[35] Eric Overmyer was brought in to fill the role of Pelecanos as a full-time writer producer.[45][47] He had previously worked with Simon on Homicide where the two became friends.[45] Simon has said that he was impressed with Overmyer's writing particularly in synthesizing the story for "Margin of Error" as the episode is the height of the show's political storyline but must also progress other plot threads.[45] Simon and his writing staff were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2009 ceremony for their work on the fifth season.[48] Simon and Burns collaborated to write the series finale "-30-" which received the show's second Emmy nomination, again in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.[49] Simon has stated that he finds working with HBO more comfortable than his experiences with NBC on Homicide and that HBO is able to allow greater creative control because it is dependent on subscribers rather than on viewing

26

David Simon figures.[8] He has said that he feels unable to return to network television because he felt pressure to compromise storytelling for audience satisfaction.[6]

27

Generation Kill
Simon produced and wrote Generation Kill for HBO with Ed Burns. They again worked with Nina Noble as a producer. The miniseries is an adaption of the non-fiction book of the same name. It relates the first 40 days of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as experienced by 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and their embedded reporter, Evan Wright. Simon and Burns worked with Wright in adapting his book into the series.[50]

Treme
Simon collaborated with Eric Overmyer again on Treme,[51] a project about musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans.[35] Overmyer lives part-time in New Orleans, and Simon believed his experience would be valuable in navigating the "ornate oral tradition" of the city's stories.[35] Simon also consulted with New Orleans natives Donald Harrison Jr., Kermit Ruffins, and Davis Rogan while developing the series.[52] The show focuses on a working-class neighborhood, and is smaller in scope than The Wire. The series premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. Treme is named after the Faubourg Treme neighborhood in New Orleans that is home to many of the city's musicians.[51] Simon has stated that the series will explore beyond the music scene to encompass political corruption, the public housing controversy, the criminal-justice system, clashes between police and Mardi Gras Indians, and the struggle to regain the tourism industry after the storm.[53] One of the principal characters in the pilot script runs a restaurant.[52] The series was filmed on location and was expected to provide a boost to the New Orleans economy.[53] Simon's casting of the show mirrored that of The Wire in using local actors wherever possible.[52] Wendell Pierce, who had previously played Bunk Moreland on The Wire, stars in the series. Clarke Peters, also of The Wire, is another series regular. Many other stars of The Wire have appeared in Treme, these include Steve Earle, Jim True-Frost, James Ransone, and Anwan Glover.[54]

Future projects
Simon is collaborating with Tom Fontana (Oz) on a HBO mini-series called Manhunt that will focus on the 12 days after the Lincoln Assassination while John Wilkes Booth was on the run.[55] Simon has written a teleplay about bluesman Muddy Waters that has not been produced.[5] He has mentioned plans to write another book; potentially about the rise of drug use from the 1950s to the 1970s.[6] Simon told Baltimore's City Paper in 2003 that someday he plans to write another book.[7] "At some point I'm going to put down this crack pipe of television and go back and do another book or something," says Simon.[7] Simon continues to work as a freelance journalist and author, writing for The Washington Post, The New Republic, and Details magazine.[29]

Personal life
David Simon is married to Baltimore novelist and former Sun reporter Laura Lippman. They have a daughter, and he has a son, Ethan from a previous marriage. Simon's nephew Jason Simon is a guitarist and vocalist for the psychedelic rock band Dead Meadow.[56]

Writing process, characteristics, and motivation

Simon is known for his realistic dialogue and journalistic approach to writing.[35] He says that authenticity is paramount and that he writes not with a general audience in mind but with the opinions of his subjects as his priority.[35] He has described his extensive use of real anecdotes and characters in his writing as "stealing life".[57] In a talk that Simon gave to a live audience in April, 2007 at the Creative Alliance's storytelling series, Simon disclosed that he had started writing for revenge against John Carroll and Bill Marimow, the two most senior editors

David Simon at The Baltimore Sun when Simon was a reporter at the paper.[58] Simon said he had watched Carroll and Marimow "single-handedly destroy" the newspaper and that he spent over ten years trying to get back at them.[58] Anything I've ever accomplished as a writer, as somebody doing TV, anything I've ever done in life, down to, like, cleaning up my room, has been accomplished because I was going to show people that they were fucked up, wrong, and that I was the fucking center of the universe and the sooner they got hip to that, the happier they would all be.[58] One of the actions Simon took was to name a character in The Wire after Marimow and make the character "a repellent police-department toady," although Marimow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for tough, well-documented investigations of the Philadelphia police.[59] Carroll left the Baltimore Sun to become editor at the Los Angeles Times and resigned in 2005 after budget cuts were announced.[58] "He stands up like a [bleeping] hero, takes a bullet," said Simon.[58] In 2006 Marimow was diagnosed with prostate cancer, something that Simon said "took the edge off" his grudge.[58] Carroll and Marimow "were fuel for 10 years of my life. ... And now, I got nothing," Simon said.[58] When asked about these comments, Simon responded: "I spoke with some hyperbole and, I hope, comic effect," Simon said via e-mail. He said his point was "that simple revenge is both empty and beside the point and that a good story carefully told has to speak to larger themes. You do not tell an ornate, careful story over ten hours of HBO airtime merely to bust on any given soul." [58]

28

Works
Commentary
David Simon (2009-07-16). "Build the Wall" [60]. Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2009-07-29. David Simon (2009-03-01). "In Baltimore, No One Left to Press the Police" [61]. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-03-01. David Simon (2008-01-20). "Does the News Matter To Anyone Anymore?" [62]. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-01-21.

Non-fiction books
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991) The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood (co-authored with Ed Burns) (1997)

Filmography
Producer
Year 2011 Treme 2010 2008 Generation Kill The Wire 2006 2004 2003 2002 Executive producer Executive producer Season 5 Season 4 Season 3 Season 2 Season 1 Show Role Notes

Executive producer Season 2 Season 1

David Simon

29
2000 The Corner Executive producer Season 7 Season 6 1997 Story editor 1996 Season 5

1999 Homicide: Life on the Street Producer 1998

Writer
Year Show Season 1 Episode title Episode Story and teleplay Story Story Story and teleplay Story Story Notes

2008 Generation Kill

"Bombs in the Garden" 7 "Stay Frosty" "A Burning Dog" "Combat Jack" "Screwby" "The Cradle of Civilization" "Get Some" 6 5 4 3 2

1 10 9 8 7 6

Writer Story and teleplay Story Story Story Story

The Wire

"30" "Late Editions" "Clarifications" "Took" "The Dickensian Aspect" "React Quotes" "Transitions" "Not For Attribution"

5 4 3

Story Story Story Story Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Story Story Story and teleplay

"Unconfirmed Reports" 2 "More with Less" 2006 4 "Final Grades" "A New Day" "Alliances" "Boys of Summer" 1 13 11 5 1

David Simon

30
3 "Mission Accomplished" "Middle Ground" "Reformation" "Slapstick" "Moral Midgetry" "Back Burners" "Homecoming" "Straight and True" "Hamsterdam" "Dead Soldiers" "All Due Respect" "Time After Time" 12 Story and teleplay

2004

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Story Story Story and teleplay Story Story Story Story Story Story Story Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Story Story Story and teleplay Story Story Story and teleplay Story Story Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Writer Story Story Story and teleplay Story Story and teleplay Story Story and teleplay Story Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Story and teleplay Story and teleplay

2003

"Port in a Storm" "Bad Dreams" "Storm Warnings" "Stray Rounds" "Duck and Cover" "Backwash" "All Prologue" "Undertow" "Hard Cases" "Hot Shots" "Collateral Damage" "Ebb Tide"

2002

"Sentencing" "Cleaning Up" "The Hunt" "The Cost" "Game Day" "Lessons" "One Arrest" "The Wire" "The Pager" "Old Cases" "The Buys" "The Detail" "The Target"

David Simon

31
1 "Everyman's Blues" "Corner Boy's Blues" "Dope Fiend Blues" "DeAndre's Blues" "Gary's Blues" 6 5 4 2 1 18 15 12 Story Writer Teleplay by Sharon Guskin from a story by Simon and James Yoshimura Teleplay by T. J. English from a story by Simon and Julie Martin Teleplay by David Mills from a story by Simon and James Yoshimura Teleplay by Phillip B. Epstein from a story by Simon Teleplay by Simon and Anya Epstein from a story by Tom Fontana, Julie Martin and James Yoshimura Teleplay by Simon from a story by Tom Fontana and James Yoshimura Teleplay by Simon and Anya Epstein from a story by Julie Martin and James Yoshimura Teleplay by Simon from a story by Tom Fontana and Julie Martin Teleplay by Simon and Anya Epstein from a story by Tom Fontana, Henry Bromell and Barry Levinson Teleplay by Simon from a story by Tom Fontana and Henry Bromell Teleplay by Simon, story by Simon and Bill Clark

2000 The Corner

1999 Homicide: Life on the 7 Street

"Self Defense" "Sideshow: Part 2" "The Same Coin"

"Shades of Gray" 1998 6 "Finnegan's Wake" "Full Court Press" 1997 "Blood Ties: Part 3"

10 21 18 3

"Blood Ties: Part 2" 5 "Wu's on First?"

2 15

1996 4

"Bad Medicine" "Scene of the Crime"

4 18

"Justice: Part 2" NYPD Blue 3 "Hollie and the Blowfish" "Bop Gun"

14 17

1994 Homicide: Life on the 2 Street

Teleplay by Simon and David Mills from a story by Tom Fontana

References
[1] "David Simon: 2010 MacArthur Fellow" (http:/ / www. macfound. org/ site/ c. lkLXJ8MQKrH/ b. 6241271/ k. 8712/ David_Simon. htm). MacArthur Foundation. . Retrieved 28 September 2010. [2] "David Simon: Television Man" (http:/ / www. utne. com/ Arts-Culture/ Utne-Reader-Visionaries-David-Simon-Television-Man. aspx). Utne Reader, November-December 2011. . Retrieved 19 October 2011. [3] Hal Hinson (2002-06-02). "TELEVISION/RADIO; Revisiting Baltimore's Embattled Streets" (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=9804E4DA103BF931A35755C0A9649C8B63& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=2). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2007-10-11. [4] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [5] Cynthia Rose. "The originator of TV's 'Homicide' remains close to his police-reporter roots" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 19990428142656/ http:/ / www. seattletimes. com/ news/ entertainment/ html98/ dave_021899. html). Seattle Times. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. seattletimes. com/ news/ entertainment/ html98/ dave_021899. html) on 1999-04-28. . Retrieved 2006-09-28. [6] Mary Alice Blackwell. "Fun comes down to 'The Wire'" (http:/ / www. dailyprogress. com/ servlet/ Satellite?pagename=CDP/ MGArticle/ CDP_BasicArticle& c=MGArticle& cid=1173350356360& TheWireHBO). Daily Progress. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [7] "Under The Wire" (http:/ / www. citypaper. com/ news/ story. asp?id=3336). Citypaper.com. May 28, 2003. . Retrieved 2010-09-14. [8] Jesse Walker (2004-10). "David Simon Says" (http:/ / www. reason. com/ news/ show/ 29273. html). Reason Magazine. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [9] Kalat, David P. (1998). Homicide: Life on the Street: The Unofficial Companion. Los Angeles, California: Renaissance Books. p.101. ISBN1580630219. [10] "Edgar Award Archives" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060915220906/ http:/ / mysterywriters. org/ edgarsDB/ edgarDB. php). Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original (http:/ / mysterywriters. org/ edgarsDB/ edgarDB. php) on September 15, 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-29.

David Simon
[11] David Simon (1998). Homicide: Life on the Street season 4 interviews (DVD). NBC. [12] Stephen Gyllenhaal; Tom Fontana (story), David Simon and David Mills (teleplay) (1994-01-06). "Bop Gun". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 01. season 2. NBC. [13] Peter Medak; Tom Fontana and Henry Brommell (story), David Simon (teleplay) (1996-02-23). "Justice: Part 2". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 14. season 4. NBC. [14] Kathy Bates; Tom Fontana, Henry Brommell and Barry Levinson (story), David Simon and Anya Epstein (teleplay) (1996-04-12). "Scene of the Crime". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 18. season 4. NBC. [15] Kenneth Fink; Tom Fontana and Julie Martin (story), David Simon (teleplay) (1996-10-25). "Bad Medicine". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 4. season 5. NBC. [16] Tim McCann; Julie Martin and James Yoshimura (story), David Simon and Anya Epstein (teleplay) (1997-02-07). "Wu's on First?". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 15. season 5. NBC. [17] Nick Gomez; Tom Fontana and James Yoshimura (story), David Simon (teleplay) (1997-10-24). "Blood Ties: Part 2". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 2. season 6. NBC. [18] Mark Pellington; Tom Fontana, Julie Martin and James Yoshimura (story), David Simon and Anya Epstein (teleplay) (1997-10-31). "Blood Ties: Part 3". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 3. season 6. NBC. [19] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story), Phillip B. Epstein (teleplay) (1998-04-03). "Full Court Press". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 18. season 6. NBC. [20] Steve Buscemi; James Yoshimura and David Simon (story), David Mills (teleplay) (1998-04-24). "Finnegan's Wake". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 21. season 6. NBC. [21] Adam Bernstein; Julie Martin and David Simon (story), T. J. English (teleplay) (1999-01-08). "Shades of Gray". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 10. season 7. NBC. [22] Lisa Cholodenko; James Yoshimura and David Simon (story), Sharon Guskin (teleplay) (1999-01-29). "The Same Coin". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 12. season 7. NBC. [23] Barbara Kopple; David Simon and Eric Overmyer (story), Yaphet Kotto (teleplay) (1999-04-09). "Self Defense". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 18. season 7. NBC. [24] Clark Johnson; David Simon (1998-10-30). "The Twenty Percent Solution". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 04. season 7. NBC. [25] Edwin Sherin; David Simon (1999-02-19). "Sideshow: Part 2". Homicide: Life on the Street. episode 15. season 7. NBC. [26] "60 Minute Category" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070315172450/ http:/ / www. humanitasprize. org/ winners60m. htm). Humanitas Prize. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. humanitasprize. org/ winners60m. htm) on 2007-03-15. . Retrieved 2006-09-28. [27] Nick Madigan (1999-01-14). "Cable pix please WGA" (http:/ / www. variety. com/ article/ VR1117490195. html?categoryid=14& cs=1). Variety. . Retrieved 2006-09-28. [28] "The Corner: About the Book" (http:/ / www. randomhouse. com/ catalog/ display. pperl?isbn=9780767900317). Random House. . Retrieved 2006-10-03. [29] "David Simon Biography" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ david_simon. shtml). HBO. . Retrieved 2007-10-03. [30] "Notable Books of the Year 1997 - Non-Fiction" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ books/ 97/ 12/ 07/ reviews/ notable-nonfiction. html). New York Times. . Retrieved 2006-09-29. [31] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [32] Wiltz, Teresa (2007-09-03). "Down to "The Wire": It's a Wrap for Gritty TV Series" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 09/ 02/ AR2007090201454. html). Washington Post. . Retrieved 2007-09-03. [33] Ian Rothkirch (2002). "What drugs have not destroyed, the war on them has" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ tv/ int/ 2002/ 06/ 29/ simon/ index. html). Salon.com. . [34] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. pp.1819, 3539. [35] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [36] Richard Vine (2005). "Totally Wired" (http:/ / blogs. guardian. co. uk/ theguide/ archives/ tv_and_radio/ 2005/ 01/ totally_wired. html). The Guardian Unlimited (London). . Retrieved 2010-05-01. [37] "A Teacher in Baltimore" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ ed_burns. shtml). HBO. . Retrieved 2006-10-03. [38] David Simon (2005). "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [39] "Season 1 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_1. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [40] "Season 2 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_2. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [41] "Season 3 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_3. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [42] "Episode guide - episode 36 middle ground" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode11. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-09. [43] David Simon, George P. Pelecanos (2004-12-12). "Middle Ground". The Wire. episode 11. season 3. HBO. [44] "Emmy award archives" (http:/ / www. emmys. tv/ awards/ awardsearch. php). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-16. [45] "Exclusive David Simon Q&A" (http:/ / members. aol. com/ TheWireHBO/ exclusive-17. html). AOL. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [46] "Dennis Lehane biography" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ dennis_lehane. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-16. [47] "Season 4 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_4. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-16.

32

David Simon
[48] "2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced" (http:/ / wga. org/ content/ default. aspx?id=3410). WGA. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-12-12. [49] "60th Primetime Emmy Awards" (http:/ / cdn. emmys. tv/ awards/ 2008pte/ 60thpte_nomswin_pt. php?action=search_db#1). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. . Retrieved 2009-03-31. [50] "HBO drafts cast for 'Kill' mini" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070603080151/ http:/ / www. hollywoodreporter. com/ hr/ content_display/ news/ e3i10d8acfd8966c363df89ead3d214f518#TheWireHBO). The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. hollywoodreporter. com/ hr/ content_display/ news/ e3i10d8acfd8966c363df89ead3d214f518#TheWireHBO) on 2007-06-03. . Retrieved 2007-01-06. [51] "Wire Creator Heads to New Orleans" (http:/ / www. zap2it. com/ tv/ news/ zap-hbopilots-tca,0,3595323. story#TheWireHBO). Zap2It. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-07-13. [52] Dave Walker (2008). "More on David Simon's 'Treme'" (http:/ / blog. nola. com/ davewalker/ 2008/ 07/ more_on_david_simons_treme. html#ThewireHBO). The Times-Picayune. . Retrieved 2008-07-13. [53] Dave Walker (2008). "HBO sets drama series in Treme with focus on city's musicians" (http:/ / blog. nola. com/ davewalker/ 2008/ 07/ hbo_sets_drama_series_in_treme. html#TheWireHBO). The Times-Picayune. . Retrieved 2008-07-13. [54] Dave Walker (2008). "New Orleans native Wendell Pierce set to star in 'Treme'" (http:/ / blog. nola. com/ davewalker/ 2008/ 07/ treme_script_wowed_hbo_exec. html#TheWireHBO). The Times-Picayune. . Retrieved 2008-07-13. [55] "HBO plans Lincoln assassination mini-series" (http:/ / www. tvsquad. com/ 2008/ 09/ 18/ hbo-plans-lincoln-assassination-mini-series/ ). TV Squad. . Retrieved 2008-09-19. [56] "Dead Meadow Gets Some Help From Uncle Dave" (http:/ / nymag. com/ daily/ entertainment/ 2008/ 01/ dead_meadow_get_some_help_from. html). New York. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-07-20. [57] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. "Simons gift is in recognizing an anecdote [...] for the found parable that it is stealing life, as he once described it to me and knowing which parts to steal." [58] Vozzella. January 6, 2008, Laura (2008-01-06). "Baltimore Sun. Fake newsroom, real anger" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 2008-01-06/ news/ 0801060161_1_simon-baltimore-sun-marimow). Articles.baltimoresun.com. . Retrieved 2010-09-14. [59] Bowden, Mark (January, 2008). "The Angriest Man In Television" (http:/ / www. theatlantic. com/ doc/ 200801/ bowden-wire). The Atlantic. . [60] http:/ / www. cjr. org/ feature/ build_the_wall_1. php?page=all [61] http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2009/ 02/ 27/ AR2009022703591. html [62] http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2008/ 01/ 18/ AR2008011802874. html

33

External links
David Simon (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0800108/) at the Internet Movie Database "'The Wire's' David Simon and George Pelecanos" (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story. php?storyId=3933251) September 23, 2004 Fresh Air David Simon on truth, homicide and journalism (http://www.bayweekly.com/year98/lead6_10.html) Margaret Talbot's profile of David Simon in the New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/ 22/071022fa_fact_talbot?printable=true) David Simon speaks at Baltimore's Creative Alliance. "My Nemesis" April 5, 2007 (http://www. stoopstorytelling.com/shows/19/storytellers/169) The Atlantic. "The Angriest Man In Television" by Mark Bowden. January, 2008. (http://www.theatlantic.com/ doc/200801/bowden-wire) Treme - David Simons new Show (http://www.tremefansite.com/)

Writers and directors

34

Writers and directors

The Wire, an American drama television series created by David Simon, had numerous directors and writers during its series run.

Directing staff
Before directing The Wire many of the directors worked on other television series. Many of the directors also have background in independent films.

Regular directors
Joe Chappelle (6 episodes, 20022008) Ernest Dickerson (6 episodes, 20032008) Dan Attias (4 episodes, 20032008) Ed Bianchi (4 episodes, 20022004) Clark Johnson (4 episodes, 2002, 2008) Steve Shill (4 episodes, 20022004)

Repeat directors
Agnieszka Holland (3 episodes, 20042008) Tim Van Patten (3 episodes, 20022004) Brad Anderson (2 episodes, 2002, 2006) Rob Bailey (2 episodes, 20032004) Anthony Hemingway (2 episode, 20062008) Elodie Keene (2 episodes, 2003) Seith Mann (2 episode, 20062008) Christine Moore (2 episodes, 20042006) Clement Virgo (2 episodes, 2002) Alex Zakrzewski (2 episodes, 20042006)

Single-episode directors
Robert F. Colesberry ("Port in a Storm", 2003) Scott Kecken and Joy Lusco ("Not for Attribution", 2008) Leslie Libman ("Homecoming", 2004) Milo Manevski ("Game Day", 2002) Jim McKay ("Refugees", 2006) Peter Medak ("The Buys", 2002) Gloria Muzio ("Lessons", 2002) David Platt ("Alliances", 2006) Dominic West ("Took", 2008) Thomas J. Wright ("Backwash", 2003)

Writers and directors

35

Writing staff
Many of the writers and producers of The Wire have a background as journalists and/or authors.[1] With the exception of one episode ("Sentencing") The Wire utilizes both the teleplay and story credits. Series creator David Simon was the show's most prolific writer by a large margin and receives story credit for all but ten episodes. He was also the series' showrunner, a term that has come to mean the main creative force behind a television series. As such, his involvement in the writing of the series could be considered greater than the 20 teleplay credits and one writing credit explicitly credited to him. Simon's writing partner Ed Burns was a major driving force in the writing of the series, having penned the most episodes after Simon; Burns particularly contributed to the fourth season of the series. George Pelecanos has written the penultimate episode of each season.

Head writer
David Simon (20 teleplay credits, 1 writing credit, 50 story credits; 20022008)

Regular writers
Ed Burns (10 teleplay credits, 1 writing credit, 41 story credits; 20022008) George Pelecanos (7 teleplay credits, 7 story credits; 20022008)

Repeat writers
Richard Price (5 teleplay credits, 5 story credits; 20042008) Rafael Alvarez (3 teleplay credits, 2 story credits; 20022004) Dennis Lehane (3 teleplay credits, 3 story credits; 20042008) Joy Lusco (3 teleplay credits, 2 story credits; 20022004) David Mills (2 teleplay credits, 2 story credits; 20062008) Eric Overmyer (1 teleplay credit, 2 story credits; 2006) William F. Zorzi (2 teleplay credits, 2 story credits; 20062008)

Single-episode writers
Chris Collins (1 teleplay credit, 1 story credit; 2008) Kia Corthron (1 teleplay credit, 1 story credit; 2006) David H. Melnick and Shamit Choksey (1 teleplay credit, 2002)

References
[1] "HBO: The Wire: Cast and Crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ ). HBO. . Retrieved 2007-11-09.

Awards and nominations

36

Awards and nominations

The Wire has been nominated for a variety of different awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, fifteen NAACP Image Awards, two Edgar Awards (one win[1]), three Writers Guild of America Awards (one win), one Directors Guild of America Award, and has also won a Peabody Award.[2] The series has been nominated for forty three industry awards and has won eight. It has also topped several critics polls.

Industry awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
Year Category Nominee(s) Episode Result

2005 Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series[3] David Simon and George Pelecanos "Middle Ground" Nominated 2008 Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series[4] David Simon and Ed Burns "-30-" Nominated

NAACP Image Awards

Year Category Nominee(s) Seith Mann Episode(s) Result

2009 Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Outstanding Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 2007 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series[5] Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Outstanding Drama Series [5] [5]

"The Dickensian Aspect" Nominated Season 5 Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated

Michael K. Williams Season 5 Sonja Sohn Season 5

Michael K. Williams Season 4 Seith Mann "Home Rooms" Season 4 [5] Wendell Pierce [5] Glynn Turman Season 4 Season 4 Season 3 Idris Elba Sonja Sohn Wendell Pierce Season 3 Season 3 Season 2 Season 2 Season 1

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series 2005 Outstanding Drama Series Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 2004 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Outstanding Drama Series 2003 Outstanding Drama Series

Awards and nominations

37

TCA Awards
Year Category Nominee(s) Episode(s) Season 5 David Simon Result Won Nominated Nominated Nominated Season 4 Nominated Nominated Season 2 Season 1 Nominated Nominated Nominated Nominated

2008 Heritage Award Individual Achievement in Drama Outstanding Achievement in Drama Program of the Year 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Drama Program of the Year 2004 Outstanding Drama[6] 2003 New Program of the Year[7] Outstanding Drama [7] [7]

Program of the Year

WGA Awards
Year Category Nominee(s) Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, and William F. Zorzi Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, and William F. Zorzi David Simon and Ed Burns Episode(s)/Season(s) Season 5 Nominated Season 4 Won "Final Grades" Nominated Result

2009 Dramatic [8] series 2008 Dramatic [9] series Episodic [9] drama

Other awards
Year Award Category The TV Dagger Nominee(s) Episode(s)/Season(s) Season 5 Won Best Actor Dominic West Season 5 Won Daniel Attias "Transitions" Won "More With Less" Season 5 Result

2009 Crime Thriller [10] Awards Crime Thriller [10] Awards

DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night

Eddie Award Best Edited One-Hour Series Kate Sanford for Non-Commercial Television IFTA Award Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television Aidan Gillen

Nominated Won

Awards and nominations

38
"Boys of Summer" Season 4 Won

2007 Eddie Award Best Edited One-Hour Series Kate Sanford for Non-Commercial Television Edgar Award Best Television Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, Dennis [1] Lehane, David Mills, Eric Feature/Mini-Series Teleplay Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, and William F. Zorzi Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing in Television: Short Form Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement Best Television Series, Drama Outstanding Drama Series Jennifer Ralston, Igor Nikolic, and Matthew Haasch

Won

"Misgivings" Nominated

2006 Satellite Award 2005 GLAAD Media Award 2004 ASCAP Award Peabody [2] Award

Season 4 Season 3

Nominated

Nominated Top TV Series Tom Waits Season 2 Season 2

Won Won Won Nominated Nominated

2003 Artios Award Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot Edgar Award Best Television Episode GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Drama Series

Alexa L. Fogle and Pat Moran David Simon and Ed Burns

"The Target" "The Target" Season 2

Critics polls
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Episode(s) Result Season 4 Season 4 Season 3 Season 1 Won Won Won Won

2006 Broadcasting & Cable Critics Poll Best Drama[11] 2006 Broadcasting & Cable Critics Poll Best Show[11] 2006 Time Magazine's Best/Worst List Top Television Show[12] 2002 Time Magazine's Best/Worst List Top Television Show[13]

Awards and nominations

39

References
[1] "Curtains Receives Edgar Award Nomination" (http:/ / www. theatermania. com/ content/ news. cfm/ story/ 9924). Theatre Mania. . [2] "George Foster Peabody Award Winners Book (page 73)" (http:/ / www. peabody. uga. edu/ winners/ winners_book. php). University of Georgia. . Retrieved 2007-10-16. [3] "57th Primetime Emmy Awards" (http:/ / cdn. emmys. tv/ awards/ awardsearch. php). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. . Retrieved 2009-03-31. [4] "60th Primetime Emmy Awards" (http:/ / cdn. emmys. tv/ awards/ 2008pte/ 60thpte_nomswin_pt. php?action=search_db#1). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. . Retrieved 2008-09-21. [5] "2007 Image Award nominees and winners" (http:/ / www. hollywoodreporter. com/ hr/ content_display/ film/ features/ e3i1df4dfd4706f9fc31fefc3974392be1d). Hollywood Reporter. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-11-05. [6] "Television Critics Association Introduces 2004 Award Nominees" (http:/ / tvcritics. org/ press/ 2004/ 07/ television-critics-association. html). Television Critics Association. . [7] "Television Critics Association Introduces 2003 Award Nominees" (http:/ / tvcritics. org/ press/ 2003/ 06/ television-critics-association. html). Television Critics Association. . [8] "2009 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced" (http:/ / wga. org/ content/ default. aspx?id=3410). WGA. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-12-12. [9] "2008 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced" (http:/ / wga. org/ subpage_newsevents. aspx?id=2653#TheWireHBO). WGA. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-12-13. [10] Flood, Alison (October 22, 2009). "British readers vote Harlan Coben their favourite crime writer" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ books/ 2009/ oct/ 22/ british-harlan-coben-crime). London: guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). . Retrieved October 28, 2009. [11] Michael Malone (2006). "Critics Poll" (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 106953-Critics_Poll. php). Broadcasting & Cable. . Retrieved 2009-04-05. [12] James Poniewozik. "10 Best TV Shows". TIME. p.184. [13] "TIME: Best and Worst of Television in 2002" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ bestandworst/ 2002/ tv. html). TIME. .

40

Seasons and episodes

List of The Wire episodes
The Wire, a television drama series created by David Simon, premiered on June 2, 2002 on HBO in the United States and ended on March 9, 2008. 60 episodes aired over the show's five seasons, plus three additional prequel shorts. Each episode has a running time of 55-60 minutes. The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland; each season of the series focuses on a different part of the city. The show features a large ensemble cast; many characters are only featured prominently in a single season. A group of characters, mainly in the Baltimore Police Department, appear in every season. The show is available on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.

Series overview
Season Episodes Originallyaired Seasonpremiere 1 2 3 4 5 13 12 12 13 10 June 2, 2002 June 1, 2003 Seasonfinale September 8, 2002 August 24, 2003 Region1 October 12, 2004 January 25, 2005 August 8, 2006 DVDrelease Region2 April 18, 2005 October 10, 2005 February 5, 2007 March 10, 2008 Region4 May 11, 2005 May 3, 2006 August 13, 2008 August 13, 2008 4 Discs 5

September 19, 2004 December 19, 2004

September 10, 2006 December 10, 2006 December 4, 2007 January 6, 2008 March 9, 2008 August 12, 2008

September 22, 2008 February 3, 2010

Seasons
Season 1 (2002)
Series Season # # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"The Target" "The Detail" "The Buys" "Old Cases" "The Pager" "The Wire" "One Arrest" "Lessons" "Game Day" "The Cost" "The Hunt" "Cleaning Up"

David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon David Simon David Simon David Simon Ed Burns David Simon Rafael Alvarez David Simon David H. Melnick & Shamit Choksey David Simon Joy Lusco George Pelecanos

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson Peter Medak Clement Virgo Clark Johnson Ed Bianchi Joe Chappelle Gloria Muzio Milo Manevski Brad Anderson Steve Shill Clement Virgo

June 2, 2002 June 9, 2002 June 16, 2002 June 23, 2002 June 30, 2002 July 7, 2002 July 21, 2002 July 28, 2002 August 4, 2002 August 11, 2002 August 18, 2002 September 1, 2002

List of The Wire episodes

41
David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns Tim Van Patten September 8, 2002

13

13

"Sentencing"

Season 2 (2003)
Series Season # # 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Ebb Tide" "Collateral Damage" "Hot Shots" "Hard Cases" "Undertow" "All Prologue" "Backwash" "Duck and Cover" "Stray Rounds" "Storm Warnings" "Bad Dreams" "Port in a Storm"

David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Joy Lusco David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Rafael Alvarez David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon David Simon David Simon Joy Lusco Ed Burns David Simon Rafael Alvarez George Pelecanos David Simon Ed Burns George Pelecanos David Simon

Ed Bianchi Ed Bianchi Elodie Keene Elodie Keene Steve Shill Steve Shill Thomas J. Wright Dan Attias Tim Van Patten Rob Bailey Ernest Dickerson Robert F. Colesberry

June 1, 2003 June 8, 2003 June 15, 2003 June 22, 2003 June 29, 2003 July 6, 2003 July 13, 2003 July 27, 2003 August 3, 2003 August 10, 2003 August 17, 2003 August 24, 2003

Season 3 (2004)
Series Season # # 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Time After Time" "All Due Respect" "Dead Soldiers" "Hamsterdam" "Straight and True" "Homecoming" "Back Burners" "Moral Midgetry" "Slapstick" "Reformation" "Middle Ground" "Mission Accomplished"

David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Richard Price David Simon & Dennis Lehane David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Rafael Alvarez David Simon & Joy Lusco David Simon & Richard Price David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon Richard Price Dennis Lehane George Pelecanos Ed Burns Rafael Alvarez Joy Lusco Richard Price David Simon Ed Burns George Pelecanos David Simon

Ed Bianchi Steve Shill Rob Bailey Ernest Dickerson Dan Attias Leslie Libman Tim Van Patten Agnieszka Holland Alex Zakrzewski Christine Moore Joe Chappelle Ernest Dickerson

September 19, 2004 September 26, 2004 October 3, 2004 October 10, 2004 October 17, 2004 October 31, 2004 November 7, 2004 November 14, 2004 November 21, 2004 November 28, 2004 December 12, 2004 December 19, 2004

List of The Wire episodes

42

Season 4 (2006)
Series Season # # 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Boys of Summer" "Soft Eyes" "Home Rooms" "Refugees" "Alliances" "Margin of Error" "Unto Others" "Corner Boys" "Know Your Place" "Misgivings" "A New Day" "That's Got His Own" "Final Grades"

David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns & David Mills Ed Burns & Richard Price Ed Burns & Dennis Lehane David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer Ed Burns & William F. Zorzi Ed Burns & Richard Price Ed Burns & Kia Corthron Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon David Mills Richard Price Dennis Lehane Ed Burns Eric Overmyer William F. Zorzi Richard Price Kia Corthron Ed Burns Ed Burns George Pelecanos David Simon

Joe Chappelle Christine Moore Seith Mann Jim McKay David Platt Dan Attias Anthony Hemingway Agnieszka Holland Alex Zakrzewski Ernest Dickerson Brad Anderson Joe Chappelle Ernest Dickerson

September 10, 2006 September 17, 2006 September 24, 2006 October 1, 2006 October 8, 2006 October 15, 2006 October 29, 2006 November 5, 2006 November 12, 2006 November 19, 2006 November 26, 2006 December 3, 2006 December 10, 2006

Season 5 (2008)
Series Season # # 51 52 53 1 2 3 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"More with Less" "Unconfirmed Reports" "Not for Attribution"

David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & William F. Zorzi David Simon & Chris Collins

David Simon William F. Zorzi Chris Collins

Joe Chappelle Ernest Dickerson Scott Kecken & Joy Kecken Dan Attias Agnieszka Holland Seith Mann

January 6, 2008 January 13, 2008 January 20, 2008

54 55 56

4 5 6

"Transitions" "React Quotes" "The Dickensian Aspect" "Took"

David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & David Mills David Simon & Ed Burns

Ed Burns David Mills Ed Burns

January 27, 2008 February 3, 2008 February 10, 2008 February 17, 2008 February 24, 2008 March 2, 2008

57

David Simon & Richard Price

Richard Price

Dominic West

58

"Clarifications"

David Simon & Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane

Anthony Hemingway

59

"Late Editions"

David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon & Ed Burns

George Pelecanos David Simon

Joe Chappelle

60

10

"30"

Clark Johnson

March 9, 2008

List of The Wire episodes

43

Prequel shorts
Three short film vignettes set prior to the series events were filmed during the fifth season's production. They were made available via HBO On Demand during broadcast of the final season, and included as extras on the complete series DVD box set. "When Bunk Met McNulty" "Young Omar" "Young Prop Joe"

External links
Episode guide at HBO [1] List of The Wire episodes [2] at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire episodes [3] at TV.com

References
[1] http:/ / www. hbo. com/ the-wire/ episodes [2] http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0306414/ episodes [3] http:/ / www. tv. com/ the-wire/ show/ 8800/ episode. html?season=All

Season 1

44

Season 1
The Wire season 1
DVD cover
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 13 Broadcast Original channel Original run HBO June 2, 2002 September8,2002 Home video release DVD release Region 1 October 12, 2004

The first season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on June 2, 2002, concluded on September 8, 2002, and contained 13 episodes. It introduces the drug-dealing Barksdale organization and the police detail that is investigating them. The first season aired Sundays at 9:00 pm Eastern in the United States and was released on DVD as a five-disc boxed set under the title of The Wire: The Complete First Season on October 12, 2004 by HBO video.

Plot
The first season introduces two major groups of characters: the Baltimore police department and a drug dealing organization run by the Barksdale family. The season follows the investigation of the latter over its 13 episodes. An investigation into a large Baltimore based drug dealing is triggered when detective Jimmy McNulty meets privately with judge Daniel Phelan following the acquittal of D'Angelo Barksdale for murder after a key witness changes her story. McNulty tells Phelan that the witness has probably been intimidated by members of a drug trafficking empire run by D'Angelo's uncle, Avon Barksdale, having recognized several faces at the trial, notably Avon's second-in-command, Stringer Bell. He also tells Phelan that nobody is investigating Barksdale's criminal activity, which includes a significant portion of the city's drug trade and several unsolved homicides. Phelan takes issue with this and complains to senior Police Department figures, embarrassing them into creating a detail dedicated to investigating Barksdale. However, owing to the department's dysfunctionality, the investigation is intended as a faade to appease the judge. An interdepartmental struggle between the more motivated officers on the detail and their superiors spans the whole season, with interference by the higher-ups often threatening to ruin the investigation. The detail's commander, Cedric Daniels, acts as mediator between the two opposing groups of police. Meanwhile, the organized and cautious Barksdale gang is explored through characters at various levels within it. The organization is antagonized by a stick-up crew led by Omar Little, and the feud leads to several deaths. Throughout, D'Angelo struggles with his conscience over his life of crime and the people it affects. The police have little success with street-level arrests or with securing informants beyond Wallace, a young low-level dealer and friend of D'Angelo. Eventually the investigation takes the direction of electronic surveillance, with wiretaps and pager clones to infiltrate the security measures taken by the Barksdale organization. This leads the investigation to areas the commanding officers had hoped to avoid, including political contributions. When an associate of Avon Barksdale's is arrested by State Police and offers to cooperate, the commanding officers order the detail to undertake a sting operation to wrap up the case. Detective Kima Greggs is seriously hurt in the operation,

Season 1 triggering an overzealous response from the rest of the department. This causes the detail's targets to suspect that they are under investigation. Wallace is murdered by his childhood friends Bodie and Poot, on orders from Stringer Bell, after leaving his "secure" placement with relatives and returning to Baltimore. D'Angelo Barksdale is eventually arrested with a large quantity of drugs, and learning of Wallace's murder, is ready to turn in his uncle and Stringer. However, D'Angelo's mother convinces him to rescind the deal and take the charges for his family. The detail manages to arrest Avon on a minor charge and gets one of his soldiers, Wee-Bey, to confess to most of the murders, some of which he did not commit. Stringer escapes prosecution and is left running the Barksdale empire. For the officers, the consequences of antagonizing their superiors are severe, with Daniels passed over for promotion and McNulty assigned out of homicide.

45

Production
Crew
David Simon is the series' creator and head writer, show runner and executive producer. Alongside Simon, many of the creative team behind The Wire are alumni of Homicide and Emmy-winning miniseries The Corner. The Corner veteran, Robert F. Colesberry, was also executive producer. Colesberry is credited by the rest of the creative team as having a large creative role for a producer, and Simon credits him for achieving the show's realistic visual feel.[1] He also had a small recurring role as Detective Ray Cole.[2] Colesberry's wife Karen L. Thorson joined him on the production staff.[3] A third producer on The Corner, Nina Kostroff Noble, also stayed with the production staff for The Wire rounding out the initial four-person team.[3] Stories for the show are often co-written by Ed Burns, a former Baltimore homicide detective and public school teacher who has worked with Simon on other projects including The Corner.[3] The writing staff includes acclaimed crime fiction novelist George P. Pelecanos from Washington, D.C.[3][4] Pelecanos has commented that he was attracted to the project because of the opportunity to work with Simon.[5] Staff writer Rafael Alvarez was a colleague of Simon's from The Sun and a Baltimore native with working experience in the port area.[3][6] Another city native and independent filmmaker, Joy Lusco Kecken, joined the writing staff and served as the script coordinator.[3][7] David H. Melnick and Shamit Choksey complete the writing staff.[3] Homicide alumnus Clark Johnson,[8] who directed several acclaimed episodes of The Shield,[9] directed the pilot, the second episode, and the fifth episode.[3] Another repeat director is Clement Virgo, who directed two episodes.[3] Single episode directors include Ed Bianchi, Joe Chappelle, Gloria Muzio, Milo Manevski, Brad Anderson and Steve Shill.[3] The season finale was directed by Tim Van Patten, an Emmy winner who has worked on every season of The Sopranos.[3] The directing has been praised for its uncomplicated and subtle style.[10]

Cast
The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The starring cast comprised characters from both groups. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems overshadowed his ability.[11][12][13] The detail was led by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) who faced challenges balancing his career aspirations with his desire to produce a good case.[11][14][15] Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner.[11][16][17] Her investigative work was greatly helped by her confidential informant, a drug addict known as Bubbles (Andre Royo).[11][18][19] These investigators were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Major William Rawls (John Doman) and Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison).[11][20][21][22][23] Assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy) acted as the legal liaison

Season 1 between the detail and the courthouse and also had a casual relationship with one of the officers.[11][24][25] In the homicide division, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce) was a gifted, dry-witted detective partnered with McNulty.[11][26][27] On the other side of the investigation was Avon Barksdale's drug empire. The driven, ruthless Barksdale (Wood Harris) was aided by business-minded Stringer Bell (Idris Elba).[11][28][29][30][31] Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale (Larry Gilliard Jr.) ran some of his uncle's territory, but also possessed a guilty conscience.[11][32][33] The first season featured several significant characters in recurring roles. Like Detective Greggs, partners Thomas "Herc" Hauk (Domenick Lombardozzi) and Ellis Carver (Seth Gilliam) were reassigned to the detail from the narcotics unit.[34][35] The duo's initially violent nature was eventually subdued as they proved useful in grunt work, and sometimes served as comic relief for the audience.[11][36][37] Rounding out the temporary unit were detectives Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson), Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost).[38][39][40] Sydnor was a rookie detective with a reputation for solid undercover work.[41] Though not initially important players in the operation, Freamon proved a quietly capable investigator with a knack for noticing tiny but important details, and Prez, while a liability on the street, turned out to be a natural at his desk job.[11][42][43] McNulty and Bunk served in a homicide unit squad led by Sergeant Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams), the jovial squad commander.[11][44][45] Peter Gerety had a recurring role as Judge Phelan, the official who started the case moving.[11] There were also several recurring characters in the Barksdale Organization. Loyal Wee-Bey Brice (Hassan Johnson) was responsible for multiple homicides carried out on Avon's orders.[46][47] Working under D'Angelo were Poot Carr (Tray Chaney),[48] Bodie Broadus (J.D. Williams),[49] and Wallace (Michael B. Jordan), all street-level drug dealers. Wallace was an intelligent but nave youth trapped in the drug trade, Bodie a violent and determined young dealer, and Poot a lascivious young man happy to follow rather than lead.[11][50][51] Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a renowned Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan.[11][52][53]

46

Reception
The first season received positive reviews from critics,[54] some calling it superior to HBO's better-known "flagship" drama series such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.[55][56][57] One reviewer felt that the show was partially a retread of themes from HBO and David Simon's earlier works but still valuable viewing and described the series as particularly resonant because it parallels the war on terror through the chronicling of the war on drugs.[58] Another review postulated that the series might suffer because of its reliance on profanity and slowly drawn-out plot, but was largely positive about the show's characters and intrigue.[8] TIME Magazine named the first season as the best TV show of 2002 in their Top 10 Everything 2002.[59] Despite the critical acclaim, The Wire has received poor Nielsen ratings, which Simon attributes to the complexity of the plot, a poor time slot, heavy use of esoteric slang, particularly among the gangster characters and a predominantly black cast.[60] Critics felt the show was testing the attention span of its audience and felt that it was mistimed in the wake of the launch of the successful crime drama The Shield on FX.[58] However, anticipation for a release of the first season on DVD was high at Entertainment Weekly.[61]

Season 1

47

Episodes
"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.
Series # 1 Season # 1 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"The Target"

David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon

Clark Johnson

June 2, 2002

"...when it's not your turn" - McNulty Homicide detective Jimmy McNulty observes the murder trial of a mid-level drug dealer, D'Angelo Barksdale, and sees the prosecution's star witness recant her testimony. McNulty recognises drug king-pin Stringer Bell in the court room and believes he has manipulated the proceedings. McNulty circumvents the chain of command by talking to the judge, who then places pressure on the police department over the case. D'Angelo is acquitted and returns to work for the Barksdale drug-dealing organizationmoving to the low rise projects known as "the pit." A homeless drug [62] addict named Bubbles acts as mentor to another addict in an ill-conceived scam with severe consequences. 2 2 "The Detail" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Clark Johnson June 9, 2002

"You cannot lose if you do not play." - Marla Daniels The witness who testified against D'Angelo is killed, and the Barksdale organization is suspected; a detail is formed to investigate their drug dealing activity in the low rises. The detail's Lieutenant, Cedric Daniels, is concerned with the quality of his team, while Detective McNulty is concerned with the department's plan for the investigation. Daniels' protg Kima Greggs uses Bubbles as a confidential informant to identify members of the Barksdale organization. However, Daniels' suspicions about his other detectives prove correct when a late night foray into the West side projects by [63] Herc, Carver and Prez goes awry. 3 3 "The Buys" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Peter Medak June 16, 2002

"The king stay the king." - D'Angelo The detectives' brutal actions lead to a minor riot, bad publicity for the detail, injury to Herc, and Prez being placed on administrative leave. D'Angelo gives young dealers Wallace and Bodie Broadus a lesson about their place in the Barksdale hierarchy. The detail finally starts to see results as Lester Freamon obtains an old picture of Avon Barksdale. Stick-up man Omar Little takes advantage of D'Angelo's crew's lapses and steals their stash of narcotics. The pit is later raided by the police and Bodie receives a beating for striking an officer, but nothing turns up due to [64] Omar's robbery. 4 4 "Old Cases" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Clement Virgo June 23, 2002

"Thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles Bodie wakes up from his injuries in a Washington, D.C. juvenile detention center and manages to escape just before Herc and Carver arrive to interrogate him. Avon discusses the loss of the pit's stash with his enforcers and marks Omar and his crew for death. McNulty and Bunk Moreland, [65] his partner from homicide, investigate an old murder that may be related to D'Angelo. 5 5 "The Pager" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Clark Johnson June 30, 2002

"...a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale Stringer warns D'Angelo that there may be a snitch in his camp. The detail gets its affidavit approved for a cloned pager but are puzzled at the results. Prez begins to redeem himself in the eyes of his colleagues by taking a fresh approach to the pager information. Wallace spots Brandon, one [66] of Omar's crew, in an arcade and passes the information on to the Barksdale enforcers. 6 6 "The Wire" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Ed Bianchi July 7, 2002

"...and all the pieces matter." - Freamon Brandon's bloodied body is discovered in the pit. Wallace gets even more unsettled about the situation after Avon rewards him for his part in Brandon's murder. The detail gets a wiretap running. Daniels clashes with homicide Major William Rawls over their approach to the evidence they [67] have gathered thus far.

Season 1

48
7 7 "One Arrest" David Simon & Ed Burns Rafael Alvarez Joe Chappelle July 21, 2002

"A man must have a code." - Bunk Using information from the wiretap Detectives Greggs, Herc, Carver, and Sydnor catch a runner on his way to the pit with a re-supply. Avon worries about a possible snitch and Stringer confounds the detail's investigative efforts by cautiously instructing his people to stop using payphones. [68] Rawls pressures his detective in the detail for information on their case. 8 8 "Lessons" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Gloria Muzio July 28, 2002

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar McNulty uses his children to tail Stringer after a chance encounter in a local market. Greggs and Carver arrest a driver picking up a large amount of cash from the Towers from known gang members, but are forced to return the money when the driver's political connections to Senator Clay Davis [69] are revealed. Daniels discusses his problems following the money trail with his wife Marla. 9 9 "Game Day" David Simon & Ed Burns David H. Melnick & Shamit Choksey Milo Manevski August 4, 2002

"Maybe we won." - Herc Freamon gets Sydnor and Prez started on the Barksdale money trail. Omar gives East side kingpin Proposition Joe a stolen package for the opportunity to parley with him. Avon and Proposition Joe host an East side vs. West side basketball game, giving the detectives the first glimpse of [70] their elusive target. Omar attempts to kill Avon, but is himself wounded. 10 10 "The Cost" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Brad Anderson August 11, 2002

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs After being clean for three days, Bubbles gets some strong advice from a former addict. Avon and Stringer tighten up ship following Omar's attempted hit on Avon. The detail identifies a major Barksdale stash house and an undercover operation has terrible consequences. Omar and [71] Stringer Bell meet for a parley. 11 11 "The Hunt" David Simon & Ed Burns Joy Lusco Steve Shill August 18, 2002

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels While Greggs' life hangs in the balance, Daniels is ordered to raid the Barksdale operation. The detail's hand is forced and a series of city-wide raids [72] and arrests are made to appease the Commissioner's desire for "dope on the table". Bubbles unwittingly implicates himself in the shooting. 12 12 "Cleaning Up" David Simon & Ed Burns George Pelecanos Clement Virgo September 1, 2002

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace Avon and Stringer meet with their attorney, Maurice Levy, to discuss a potential leak in the wake of the raids. Wallace goes back to the pit and asks to be let back in but Stringer has another plan. With the loss of their wiretaps the detail takes a fresh approach and installs a camera in Avon's club. [73] They catch Avon discussing a drug run with D'Angelo and arrest him en route. 13 13 "Sentencing" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon & Ed Burns Tim Van Patten September 8, 2002

"all in the game..." - Traditional, West Baltimore Daniels and McNulty's evidence of political corruption is rejected by the FBI. Daniels and McNulty face the ire of their superiors for flouting orders for a quick resolution to the case. D'Angelo is convinced to stand with his family after a visit from his mother. The detail has enough information to [74] arrest Avon and many of his people but Stringer is left on the street. Business resumes in the pit with Bodie and Poot leading the way.

Season 1

49

References
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Season 1
[31] "Cast & Crew - Idris Elba as Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ idris_elba. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [32] "Character profile - D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dangelo_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [33] "Cast & Crew - Larry Gilliard, Jr. as D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ larry_gilliard. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [34] "Cast & Crew - Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ seth_gilliam. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [35] "Cast & Crew - Domenick Lombardozzi as Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ domenick_lombardozzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [36] "Character profile - Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ herc_hauk. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [37] "Character profile - Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ellis_carver. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [38] "Cast & Crew - Corey Parker Robinson as Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ corey_parker_robinson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [39] "Cast & Crew - Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ clarke_peters. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [40] "Cast & Crew - Jim True-Frost as Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jim_truefrost. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [41] "Character profile - Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ leander_sydnor. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [42] "Character profile - Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ lester_freamon. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [43] "Character profile - Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prez. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [44] "Character profile - Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [45] "Cast & Crew - Delaney Williams as Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ delaney_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [46] "Character profile - Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ weebey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [47] "Cast & Crew - Hassan Johnson as Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ hassan_johnson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [48] "Cast & Crew - Tray Chaney as Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ tray_chaney. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [49] "Cast & Crew - JD Williams as Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jd_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [50] "Character profile - Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bodie. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [51] "Character profile - Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ poot. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [52] "Character profile - Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ omar. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [53] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_k_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [54] "The Wire: The Complete First Season" (http:/ / www. rottentomatoes. com/ m/ wire_the_complete_first_season/ ?show=all). Rotten Tomatoes. . [55] Alan Sepinwall (August 6, 2006). "Taut 'Wire' has real strength.". Newark Star-Ledger. p.1. [56] Aaron Barnhart (2006). "'The Wire' aims higher: TV's finest hour is back" (http:/ / blogs. kansascity. com/ tvbarn/ 2006/ 09/ the_wire_aims_h. html). Kansas City Star. . [57] Leslie Ryan (2003). "Tapping The Wire; HBO Police Drama Tops Television Week's Semiannual Critics Poll List" (http:/ / goliath. ecnext. com/ coms2/ gi_0199-2945445/ Tapping-The-Wire-HBO-Police. html). Television Week. . [58] Robert David Sullivan (2002). "Slow Hand" (http:/ / www. bostonphoenix. com/ boston/ arts/ tv/ documents/ 02394694. htm). Boston Phoenix. . [59] Poniewozik, James (December 12, 2002). "Top 10 Everything 2002" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ specials/ packages/ article/ 0,28804,2003162_2003170_2004798,00. html). TIME. . Retrieved February 5, 2012. [60] David Simon (2004). "Ask The Wire: David Simon" (http:/ / boards. hbo. com/ click. jspa?searchID=-1& messageID=100296266). HBO. . [61] "DVD Request of the Week" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,465300,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. July 11, 2003. .

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Season 1
[62] "Episode guide - episode 01 The Target" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode01. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 24, 2006. [63] "Episode guide - episode 02 The Detail" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode02. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [64] "Episode guide - episode 03 The Buys" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode03. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [65] "Episode guide - episode 04 Old Cases" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode04. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [66] "Episode guide - episode 05 The Pager" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode05. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [67] "Episode guide - episode 06 The Wire" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode06. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [68] "Episode guide - episode 07 The Wire" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode07. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 2, 2006. [69] "Episode guide - episode 08 The Wire" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode08. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved September 5, 2007. [70] "Episode guide - episode 09 Game Day" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode09. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 2, 2006. [71] "Episode guide - episode 10 The Cost" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode10. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved April 8, 2006. [72] "Episode guide - episode 11 The Hunt" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode11. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 26, 2006. [73] "Episode guide - episode 12 The Hunt" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode12. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 31, 2006. [74] "Episode guide - episode 13 Sentencing" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode13. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 4, 2006.

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External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) List of The Wire episodes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/episodes) at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire season 1 episodes (http://www.tv.com/the-wire/show/8800/episode.html?season=1) at TV.com

Season 2

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Season 2
The Wire season 2
DVD cover
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 12 Broadcast Original channel Original run HBO June 1, 2003 August24,2003 Home video release DVD release Region 1 January 5, 2005

The second season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on June 1, 2003, concluded on August 24, 2003, and contained 12 episodes. It introduces the stevedores of the Baltimore port and an international smuggling organization led by a figure known only as "The Greek", while continuing to examine the drug-dealing Barksdale Organization and the Baltimore Police Department. The second season aired Sundays at 9:00 pm in the United States. The season was released on DVD as a five disc boxed set under the title of The Wire: The Complete Second Season on January 5, 2005 by HBO Video.

Plot
The second season, along with its ongoing examination of the drug problem and its effect on the urban poor, examines the plight of the blue-collar urban working class as exemplified by stevedores in the city port, as some of them get caught up in smuggling drugs and other contraband inside the containers that their port receives. In a season-long subplot, the Barksdale organization continues its drug trafficking despite Avon's imprisonment, with Stringer Bell assuming greater power. McNulty harbors a vendetta against his former commanders for reassigning him to the marine unit, a job he'd feared being assigned and hates. When thirteen unidentified young women are found dead in a container at the docks, McNulty makes a spiteful effort to stick the murders within the jurisdiction of his former commander. Meanwhile, police Major Stan Valchek gets into a feud with Frank Sobotka, a leader of the International Brotherhood of Stevedores, a fictional dockers' union, over competing donations to their old neighborhood church. Valchek demands a detail to investigate Sobotka. Cedric Daniels is interviewed, having been praised by Prez, Major Valcheck's son-in-law, and due to his work on the Barksdale case. He is eventually selected to lead the detail assigned just to investigate Sobotka. Daniels is assured that when the investigation is successfully concluded, he will move up to head a special case unit with personnel of his choosing. Life for the blue-collar men of the port is increasingly hard and work is scarce. As union leader, Sobotka has taken it on himself to reinvigorate the port by convincing politicians to support much-needed infrastructure initiatives. Lacking the funds needed for this kind of influence, Sobotka has become involved with a smuggling ring. Around him, his son and nephew also turn to crime, as they have few other opportunities to earn money. It becomes clear to the Sobotka detail that the dead girls are related to their investigation, as they were in a container that was supposed to be smuggled through the port. They again use wiretaps to infiltrate the crime ring and slowly work their way up the chain towards The Greek, the mysterious man in charge. But Valchek, upset that their focus has moved beyond Sobotka, gets the FBI involved. The Greek has contacts inside the FBI and starts severing his ties to Baltimore when

Season 2 he learns about the investigation. After a dispute over stolen goods turns violent, Sobotka's son Ziggy is charged with the murder of one of the Greek's underlings. Sobotka himself is arrested for smuggling; he agrees to work with the detail to help his son, finally seeing his actions as a mistake. However, the Greek learns about this through the FBI and has Sobotka killed. The investigation ends with the fourteen homicides solved but the perpetrator already dead. Several drug dealers and mid-level smuggling figures tied to the Greek are arrested, but he and his second-in-command escape uncharged and unidentified. The Major is pleased that Sobotka was arrested; the case is seen as a success by the commanding officers, but is viewed as a failure by the detail. Across town, the Barksdale organization continues its business under Stringer while Avon and D'Angelo Barksdale serve prison time. D'Angelo decides to cut ties to his family after his uncle organizes the deaths of several inmates and blames it on a corrupt guard to shave time from his sentence. Eventually Stringer covertly orders D'Angelo killed, faking it as a suicide. Avon is unaware of Stringer's duplicity and mourns the loss of his nephew. Stringer also struggles with the loss of his drug suppliers and bad quality product. He again goes behind Avon's back, giving up half of Avon's most prized territory, "the towers", to the eastside Baltimore drug lord Proposition Joe in exchange for a share of his supply. Avon, unaware of the arrangement, assumes that Joe and other dealers are moving into his territory simply because the Barksdale organization has too few enforcers. He contracts a feared assassin named Brother Mouzone. Stringer deals with this by tricking his old adversary Omar into believing that Mouzone was responsible for the vicious killing of his partner in their feud in season one. Seeking revenge, Omar shoots Mouzone, but realizes Stringer has lied and calls 9-1-1. Mouzone recovers and leaves Baltimore, and Stringer is free to continue his business with Proposition Joe with new consent from Avon Barksdale.

53

Cast
The second season continued to follow characters in the police and those involved with the Barksdale drug-dealing organization. The returning starring cast included Dominic West as Officer Jimmy McNulty,[1] whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems continued to overshadow his ability.[2] Lance Reddick reprised his role as Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, who was sidelined because of his placement of case over career but used his political acumen to regain some status.[3][4] Sonja Sohn played Kima Greggs, who had transferred to a desk job but could not resist the lure of a good case.[5][6] Deirdre Lovejoy starred as assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman, the legal liaison between the detail and the courthouse.[7][8] Wood Harris and Larry Gilliard, Jr. reprised their roles as newly incarcerated drug dealers Avon and D'Angelo Barksdale.[9][10][11][12] Idris Elba's character Stringer Bell took over the operations of the Barksdale Organization.[13][14] Andre Royo returned as Bubbles, who continued to indulge his drug addiction and act as an occasional informant.[15][16] The police were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Colonel William Rawls (John Doman) and Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison).[17][18][19][20] Wendell Pierce portrayed homicide detective Bunk Moreland, who became more involved with the core case.[21][22] Previously recurring guest star Clarke Peters joined the starring cast and his character, veteran detective Lester Freamon, joined the homicide unit as Moreland's new partner.[23][24] The new season also introduced a further group of characters working in the Baltimore port area, including Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos (played by Paul Ben-Victor),[25] Beadie Russell (Amy Ryan),[26] and Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer).[27] Vondas was the underboss of a global smuggling operation,[28] Russell an inexperienced Port Authority officer and single mother thrown in at the deep end of a multiple homicide investigation,[29] and Sobotka a union leader who turned to crime in order to raise funds to save his union.[30] Also joining the show in season 2 were recurring characters Nick Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber), Frank's nephew;[31][32] Ziggy Sobotka (James Ransone), Frank's troubled son;[33][34] and "The Greek" (Bill Raymond), Vondas' mysterious

Season 2 boss.[35][36] Returning guest stars included: Jim True-Frost as Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski;[37] Seth Gilliam as newly promoted Sergeant Ellis Carver;[38][39] Domenick Lombardozzi as errant Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk;[40][41] J.D. Williams as Barksdale crew chief Bodie Broadus;[42][43] and Michael K. Williams as renowned stick-up man Omar Little.[44][45]

54

Episodes
"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.
Series # 14 Season # 1 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Ebb Tide"

David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon

Ed Bianchi

June 1, 2003

"Ain't never gonna be what it was." - Little Big Roy Jimmy McNulty is sidelined to harbor patrol. He discovers a corpse in the harbor and pays back Colonel Rawls by proving City Homicide bear responsibility for the investigation. Major Valchek feels slighted when the boss of a local stevedore union named Frank Sobotka donates a more impressive gift to a local Polish church. Sobotka meets with other union leaders and learns that a crucial pier is still in a state of disrepair. Sobotka instructs his nephew Nick to see The Greek regarding payment for a clandestine container that he is smuggling through the port. Later, Port Police [46] Officer "Beadie" Russell stumbles across The Greek's container and discovers the bodies of over a dozen young women inside. 15 2 "Collateral Damage" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Ed Bianchi June 8, 2003

"They can chew you up, but they gotta spit you out." - McNulty Officer Russell is assigned the murders of the thirteen women discovered in the cargo container. McNulty offers to help and again ensures that the case goes back to Rawls' homicide department. Valchek strikes a deal with Acting Commissioner Burrellin return for supporting Burrell in his aspirations for promotion, Valchek demands Burrell set up a detail to investigate Sobotka and his union. Sobotka, angry at not being informed of the container's contents, considers cutting his ties with The Greek and demands a meeting. "Horseface" complains of sudden police pressure to Sobotka and the two come up with a plan to further embarrass Valchek. In prison, Avon Barksdale's relationship with his nephew D'Angelo begins to sour. [47] Bodie Broadus finds that the new shipment of drugs for the Barksdale Organization is missing. 16 3 "Hot Shots" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Elodie Keene June 15, 2003

"What they need is a union." - Russell Nick is concerned over how he is to provide for his girlfriend and their daughter. He joins his errant cousin Ziggy and other dock workers to steal containers for Vondas and the Greeks. Avon confers with Stringer Bell about troubles with their drug supply and D'Angelo's growing distance. Frank Sobotka attempts to court political favor in order to fulfill his hopes for the regeneration of the docks. Omar Little signs up some new partners [48] in crime. At the request of Wee-Bey, Avon deals with an abusive prison officer who also deals drugs to inmates. His methods horrify D'Angelo. 17 4 "Hard Cases" David Simon & Joy Lusco Joy Lusco Elodie Keene June 22, 2003

"If I hear the music, I'm gonna dance." - Greggs D'Angelo confronts Avon about the bad package and washes his hands of the business. Avon brokers a deal to give up the prison officer for a reduction in his sentence. Valchek specifically requests Lieutenant Daniels for the Sobotka investigation. Daniels negotiates with Burrell and secures the promise of his own major crimes unit after the Sobotka investigation ends. Sobotka chastises his son and nephew about their unauthorized smuggling deal with the Greeks; he defends his own illicit deals as a means toward regenerating the ailing dockyard. Ziggy continues [49] to enjoy his new-found wealth. McNulty takes a personal interest in the murdered women and is pressured to find Omar for Bunk Moreland. 18 5 "Undertow" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Steve Shill June 29, 2003

Season 2

55

"They used to make steel there, no?" - Spiros Vondas Ziggy's inability to move a package of drugs costs him his Camaro and nearly his life as he falls foul of East side dealers. Seeing his cousin in danger, Nick attempts to parley with one of the dealers but discovers that they have torched Ziggy's car. Daniels sends his detail out for some hand-to-hands as they half-heartedly step up their investigation of the docks. Officer Russell gets information from an old boyfriend who indicates that the union computer may be useful in tracking containers. Sobotka's frustration with the Greeks begins to grow as he is once again denied a meeting with their boss. He puts his umbrage aside once his payment for smuggling their containers is tripled. Donette visits D'Angelo and tells him [50] that he is being supported; D'Angelo remains cynical. The Barksdale family's drug trade continues to falter because of supply problems. 19 6 "All Prologue" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Steve Shill July 6, 2003

"It don't matter that some fool say he different..." - D'Angelo The detail continues to look for the source of the union's money and begin to monitor container movements. Detective Greggs tracks down a lead on the murdered girls. Stringer, concerned over D'Angelo's distancing from the organization, goes behind Avon's back to deal with the problem once and for all. Nick requests help from the Greeks to solve Ziggy's problems. As Sobotka outlines his plans for the docks, several of his union [51] colleagues express suspicion at the source of his income. Omar emerges from hiding to testify against Bird. 20 7 "Backwash" David Simon & Rafael Alvarez Rafael Alvarez Thomas J. Wright July 13, 2003

"Don't worry, kid. You're still on the clock." - Horseface Rawls attempts to persuade Daniels to take the Jane Doe homicides but is unsuccessful. Lester Freamon and Russell continue to study the docks' traffic using their cloned computer, and suspect irregularities in containers handled by "Horseface". They track a container back to the Greeks' warehouse. They watch the warehouse and see Sergei Malatov meeting with Proposition Joe. Stringer discusses a business deal with Proposition Joe [52] to revitalize the Barksdale organization, but Avon turns it down flat. D'Angelo's funeral brings together the Barksdale Organization. 21 8 "Duck and Cover" David Simon & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Dan Attias July 27, 2003

"How come they don't fly away?" - Ziggy McNulty deals with the disappointment of his failed reconciliation with his wife by returning to his old drinking and womanizing habits while falling further into depression. The detail closes in on Sergei Malatov when they track his cell phone through his truck rental paperwork. Concerned about the union's finances, Sobotka decides to pay the bills and discovers that his cell phone account was flagged so as to not have service disconnected. Becoming paranoid, he smuggles a container without contraband to see the results, and his suspicions solidify when the police pull the container over. Frank and Nick visit the diner to meet with The Greek; The Greek tells him to deliver more disappeared but clean containers to the shut down warehouse as suspicions mount about possible interest from the police. With his business faltering, Bodie moves his crew into new [53] territory. 22 9 "Stray Rounds" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Tim Van Patten August 3, 2003

"The world is a smaller place now." - The Greek The detail is dismayed at the lack of activity from their subjects and realizes that they must be changing their operating procedure. Nick moves higher in the underworld when Vondas allows him to wholesale drugs on their behalf. On the new drug corner they commandeered from their rivals Bodie and crew are involved in a shootout that kills a child. Rawls greets Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin at the scene of the shooting; Colvin disapproves of Rawls' counter-strategy of large-scale strike operations through the Western District. Stringer meets with Proposition Joe behind Avon's back to discuss turning over some West side territory in exchange for a cut of the Greeks' drugs. Avon complicates Stringer's attempted [54] betrayal by hiring feared hitman Brother Mouzone to drive off rival dealers. 23 10 "Storm Warnings" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Rob Bailey August 10, 2003

"It pays to go with the union card every time." - Ziggy Ethnic tension over the next union secretary continues to build; Sobotka still plans to run contrary to a long-standing gentlemen's agreement. Ziggy steals several cars from the docks and fences them to George "Double G" Glekas. When Glekas double-crosses Ziggy by halving his original cut Ziggy flies into a rage and shoots Glekas and another young Greek helper boy. He breaks down emotionally right outside the warehouse and is arrested. Nick is the first to learn of his cousin's arrest and after facing the wrath of his uncle, drowns his sorrows in a local park. The detail uses satellite technology to its advantage but meets a setback as Valchek turns over control of the investigation to the FBI. Bodie is pleased with the new supply of drugs, but unhappy that Proposition Joe's nephew Cheese is on his turf. Cheese is wounded by Brother Mouzone, further complicating [55] relations between Stringer and Proposition Joe.

Season 2

56
24 11 "Bad Dreams" David Simon & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Ernest Dickerson August 17, 2003

"I need to get clean." - Sobotka Stringer manipulates Omar into pursuing Brother Mouzone. Omar shoots Mouzone and then leaves him alive having realized his mistake. The detail serves warrants on the targets of their investigation. A raid of Nick's home turns up large amounts of cash and heroin but Nick himself escapes arrest. Frank Sobotka is arrested when the FBI storms the union offices. Valchek ensures the press is there to see Sobotka embarrassed in a perp walk. Sobotka agrees to work with the investigation into the Greeks in exchange for leniency for Nick and Ziggy. In the wake of the arrests The Greeks decide to cut their losses and leave Baltimore. A report detailing Sobotka's plan is passed to Vondas from a contact in the FBI. Vondas lures [56] Sobotka into danger by offering him a meeting with The Greek and a promise to help Nick and Ziggy. 25 12 "Port in a Storm" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Robert F. Colesberry August 24, 2003

"Business. Always business." - The Greek The stevedores gather for work as a floating corpse is pulled from the water. Once ashore, they all recognize the body as Frank Sobotka. The Greek opts to stop pursuing Nick because the police are on his heels, and walks away from Baltimore. The FBI visits the union hall and tells them that they need to change their leadership or face decertification. The union remains loyal and seals the destruction of their future. Urban reform begins to hit Baltimore as the docks undergo construction. Omar vows revenge against Stringer. Stringer cements his deal with Proposition Joe now that Mouzone is out of the way. Bubbles is arrested and alerts Greggs and McNulty to the relationship between Proposition Joe and Stringer Bell in [57] exchange for his release.

References
[1] "Cast & Crew - Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ dominic_west. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [2] "Character profile - Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jimmy_mcnulty. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [3] "Cast & Crew - Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ lance_reddick. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [4] "Character profile - Lieutenant Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cedric_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [5] "Cast & Crew - Sonja Sohn as Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ sonja_sohn. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [6] "Character profile - Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ kima_greggs. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [7] "Cast & Crew - Deirdre Lovejoy as Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ deirdre_lovejoy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [8] "Character profile - Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ rhonda_pearlman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [9] "Cast & Crew - Wood Harris as Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [10] "Character profile - Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [11] "Cast & Crew - Larry Gilliard, Jr. as D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ larry_gilliard. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [12] "Character profile - D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dangelo_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [13] "Cast & Crew - Idris Elba as Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ idris_elba. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [14] "Character profile - Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stringer_bell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [15] "Cast & Crew - Andre Royo as Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ andre_royo. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [16] "Character profile - Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bubbles. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [17] "Cast & Crew - Frankie R. Faison as Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ frankie_r_faison. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

Season 2
[18] "Character profile - Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ervin_burrell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [19] "Cast & Crew - John Doman as William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ john_doman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [20] "Character profile - William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ william_rawls. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [21] "Cast & Crew - Wendell Pierce as William "Bunk" Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ wendell_pierce. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [22] "Character profile - Bunk Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bunk_moreland. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [23] "Cast & Crew - Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ clarke_peters. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [24] "Character profile - Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ lester_freamon. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [25] "Cast & Crew - Paul Ben Victor as Spiros "Vondas" Vondopolous" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ paul_ben_victor. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [26] "Cast & Crew - Amy Ryan as Beatrice "Beadie" Russell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ amy_ryan. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [27] "Cast & Crew - Chris Bauer as Frank Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ chris_bauer. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [28] "Character profile - Spiros "Vondas" Vondopolous" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ spiros_vondas. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [29] "Character profile - Beatrice "Beadie" Russell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ beatrice_russell. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [30] "Character profile - Frank Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ frank_sobotka. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [31] "Cast & Crew - Pablo Schreiber as Nick Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ pablo_schreiber. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [32] "Character profile - Nick Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ nick_sobotka. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [33] "Cast & Crew - James Ransone as Ziggy Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ james_ransone. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [34] "Character profile - Ziggy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ ziggy_sobotka. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [35] "Cast & Crew - Bill Raymond as The Greek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ bill_raymond. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [36] "Character profile - The Greek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ the_greek. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [37] "Cast & Crew - Jim True-Frost as Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jim_truefrost. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved August 6, 2008. [38] "Cast & Crew - Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prez_pryzbylewski. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [39] "Character profile - Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ellis_carver. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [40] "Cast & Crew - Domenick Lombardozzi as Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ domenick_lombardozzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [41] "Character profile - Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ herc_hauk. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [42] "Cast & Crew - JD Williams as Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jd_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [43] "Character profile - Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bodie. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [44] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_k_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [45] "Character profile - Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ omar. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [46] "Episode guide - episode 14 ebb tide" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode01. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 6, 2006.

57

Season 2
[47] "Episode guide - episode 15 collateral damage" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode02. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [48] "Episode guide - episode 16 hot shots" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode03. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [49] "Episode guide - episode 17 hard cases" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode04. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [50] "Episode guide - episode 18 undertow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode05. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [51] "Episode guide - episode 19 all prologue" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode06. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [52] "Episode guide - episode 20 backwash" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode07. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [53] "Episode guide - episode 21 duck and cover" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode08. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [54] "Episode guide - episode 22 stray rounds" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode09. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [55] "Episode guide - episode 23 storm warnings" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode10. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [56] "Episode guide - episode 24 bad dreams" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode11. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006. [57] "Episode guide - episode 25 Port in a Storm" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode12. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved June 22, 2006.

58

External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) List of The Wire episodes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/episodes) at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire season 2 episodes (http://www.tv.com/the-wire/show/8800/episode.html?season=2) at TV.com

Season 3

59

Season 3
The Wire season 3
DVD cover
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 12 Broadcast Original channel Original run HBO September 19, 2004 December19,2004 Home video release DVD release Region 1 August 8, 2006

The third season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on September 19, 2004, concluded on December 19, 2004, and contained 12 episodes. It introduces Baltimore's local politicians and the upstart drug dealing Stanfield organization while continuing to examine the Barksdale organization and the Baltimore Police Department. The third season aired Sundays at 9:00 pm in the United States. The season was released on DVD as a five disc boxed set under the title of The Wire: The Complete Third Season on August 8, 2006 by HBO video.

Production
Crew
Following the death of Robert F. Colesberry director Joe Chappelle joined the production staff as a co-executive producer and continued to regularly direct episodes.[1] Baltimore Sun writer and political journalist William F. Zorzi joined the writing staff in the third season and brought a wealth of experience to the show's examination of Baltimore politics.[2]

Cast
Starring cast The third season returned the focus to an investigation of the Barksdale Organization. It also introduced new characters including the rival Stanfield Organization and local politicians. The returning starring cast consisted of Dominic West as Detective Jimmy McNulty, whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems continued to overshadow his ability.[3][4] Lance Reddick reprised his role as Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, now commanding his own unit.[5][6] Sonja Sohn returned as Kima Greggs, McNulty's new partner within the unit.[7][8] Clarke Peters reprised his character, veteran detective Lester Freamon, who was once again working for Daniels.[9][10] Deirdre Lovejoy starred as assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman, the legal liaison between the unit and the courthouse.[11][12] Wood Harris reprised his role as incarcerated drug kingpin Avon Barksdale.[13][14] Idris Elba's character Stringer Bell continued to run the Barksdale Organization in Avon's absence.[15][16] Andre Royo returned as Bubbles, who continued to indulge his drug addiction and act as an occasional informant.[17][18]

Season 3 The police were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Deputy Commissioner of Operations William Rawls (John Doman) and Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison).[19][20][21][22] Wendell Pierce portrayed veteran homicide detective Bunk Moreland.[23][24] The new season saw several previously recurring characters assuming larger starring roles, including Seth Gilliam as Sergeant Ellis Carver,[25] Domenick Lombardozzi as Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk,[26] Detective Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson),[27] Detective Roland Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost), [28] Bodie Broadus (J.D. Williams),[29] Omar Little (Michael K. Williams),[30] and Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom).[31] Colvin commanded the Western district where the Barksdale organization operated, and nearing retirement, he came up with a radical new method of dealing with the drug problem.[32] Herc and Carver joined the Western District Drug Enforcement Unit under Colvin's command.[33][34] Sydnor, a rising young star in the police department in season 1, returned to the cast as part of the major crimes unit along with Pryzbylewski.[35][36] Bodie had been seen gradually rising in the Barksdale organization since the first episode; he was born to their trade and showed a fierce aptitude for it.[37] Omar had a vendetta against the Barksdale organization and gave them all of his lethal attention.[38] A new starring character was also introduced in the third season: Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), an ambitious city councilman.[39][40] Several members of the second season starring cast did not return for the third season with the change in focus and the termination of some characters' storylines. Chris Bauer (Frank Sobotka), Paul Ben-Victor (Spiros Vondas) and Amy Ryan (Beadie Russell) all leave the starring cast with the third season.[41][42][43][44] Ryan returns as a guest star for a short scene at the end of the season. Recurring roles Many guest stars from the earlier seasons reprised their roles. On the side of the street Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), the East Side's cautious drug kingpin, became more cooperative with the Barksdale Organization.[45][46] His lieutenant "Cheese" (Method Man) became involved in the Major Crimes Unit investigation.[47][47] Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts) returns to Baltimore looking for revenge.[48] Hassan Johnson reprises his role as incarcerated Barksdale enforcer Wee-Bey Brice.[49][50] Tray Chaney continues to portray Barksdale crew chief Poot Carr.[51][52] Leo Fitzpatrick returns as hapless drug addict Johnny Weeks.[53][54] Michael Hyatt and Shamyl Brown reprised their respective roles as Brianna Barksdale and Donette with both characters dealing with the loss of D'Angelo Barksdale.[55][56][57][58] Michael Kostroff returned as the Barksdale's retainered defense attorney Maurice Levy.[59][60] Isiah Whitlock, Jr. reprised his role as corrupt State Senator Clay Davis, who continued to be involved with Barksdale money.[61][62] Stringer continued to use Shamrock (Richard Burton) to insulate himself from investigation.[63] Background characters like Barksdale enforcers Tank and Country also returned.[63] Omar Little's crew continued to rob the Barksdale Organization and consisted of his boyfriend Dante (Ernest Waddell), partners Tosha Mitchell (Edwina Findley) and Kimmy (Kelli R. Brown), and advisor Butchie (S. Robert Morgan).[63] Many guest stars also reprised their characters from the police department. Returning guest stars in the homicide unit include Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman,[64][65] Ed Norris as Detective Ed Norris,[66][67] and Brian Anthony Wilson as Detective Vernon Holley.[68] Al Brown and Jay Landsman reprised their roles as patrol division officers Stan Valchek and Dennis Mello.[69][70][71][72] Michael Salconi recurred as veteran Western patrolman Michael Santangelo.[68] New recurring characters in the third season were also spread between the Street and the Law. The upstart Stanfield Organization introduced several new roles: Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector), a ruthless leader seeking to challenge Avon's dominance;[73][74] Chris Partlow (Gbenga Akinnagbe), Stanfield's chief enforcer;[75][76] Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (Felicia Pearson), Partlow's protege;[77][78] Norris Davis as rimshop owner and advisor Vinson;[63] Brandon Fobbs as crew chief Fruit;[63] and Melvin T. Russell and Justin Burley as young drug dealers Jamal and Justin.[63] The Barksdale Organization also found several new recruits: Slim Charles (Anwan Glover), Avon's new chief

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Season 3 enforcer;[79][80] Bernard (Melvin Jackson, Jr.), responsible for procuring disposable cell phones;[63] and Dennis "Cutty" Wise (Chad Coleman), a newly released convict uncertain of his future.[81][82] The introduction of a political storyline brought many new characters.[68] Glynn Turman played Mayor Clarence Royce, the incumbent whom Carcetti planned to unseat.[83][84] Cleo Reginald Pizana portrayed Coleman Parker, Royce's chief-of-staff.[85] Brandy Burre appeared as Theresa D'Agostino, a political campaign consultant.[86][87] Frederick Strother performed as Odell Watkins, a state delegate and political king-maker.[88][89] Christopher Mann played Carcetti's city council colleague Anthony Gray.[90][91] Several new police characters also debuted with the third season. Gregory L. Williams played Michael Crutchfield, a cantankerous homicide detective.[92][93] Joilet F. Harris had a small role as Caroline Massey, a new officer in the Major Crimes Unit.[94][95] The focus on Colvin's command of the Western District introduced several new characters both in Carver's Drug Enforcement Unit and in the Patrol Division. Carver's squad includes Kenneth Dozerman (Rick Otto),[96][97] Anthony Colicchio (Benjamin Busch), Lloyd "Truck" Garrick (Ryan Sands), and Lambert (Nakia Dillard).[68] New rookie patrol officer Aaron Castor (Lee Everett Cox), Brian Baker (Derek Horton) and Officer Turner (Darrell M. Smith) also featured.[68]

61

Episodes
"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season.
Series # 26 Season # 1 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Time After Time"

David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon

Ed Bianchi

September 19, 2004

"Don't matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep doin' the same." - Bodie The season starts midway into the Major Case Units unsuccessful investigation into the Barksdale criminal enterprise. With their recent efforts fruitless, ASA Pearlman and Lieutenant Daniels consider dropping the wiretaps, to the dismay of the squad. Meanwhile, Ellis Carver finds himself in command of an incompetent group of policemen in the Western district. Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr, and Puddin reminisce about their days living and working in the 221 tower before it is demolished in an effort to stifle the drug trade. At a Barksdale Organization meeting, new head enforcer Slim Charles suggests that more territory is required and should be taken by force if needed; Stringer Bell maintains that product is the cornerstone [98] of their operation. Dennis "Cutty" Wise, a legendary enforcer, is released from incarceration with an offer of work from Avon Barksdale. 27 2 "All Due Respect" David Simon & Richard Price Richard Price Steve Shill September 26, 2004

"There's never been a paper bag." - Colvin Detective McNulty has doubts about the reported suicide of D'Angelo Barksdale and starts an unofficial investigation. East side drug lieutenant Cheese participates in an underground dogfight, and euthanizes his pitbull after losing. He speaks of this killing on the wire, and the Major Case Unit confuse it with a real murder. The unit decides to arrest Cheese and prematurely reveals their wire-tap in the process. Omar Little returns to Baltimore and resumes robbing stash houses. Councilman Tommy Carcetti pressures Acting Commissioner Burrell over high crime rates, and Burrell sends the pressure downhill to the foot officers. Cutty finds honest work with a landscaping crew. Western District Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin is ambivalent about the tactic of reclassifying crimes to manipulate statistics and is driven to consider an unorthodox solution when one of [99] Carver's squad is shot in an undercover operation. 28 3 "Dead Soldiers" David Simon & Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane Rob Bailey October 3, 2004

"The gods will not save you." - Burrell Major Colvin attends the weekly comstat meeting, where another Major is fired as a result of Carcetti's pressure to reduce crime. Carcetti then uses the press to defer heat from the police department onto the mayor, to test his tenacity. Colvin looks for areas where he can turn a blind eye to drug dealing, unbeknownst to his superiors. Omar and his crew scope out a Barksdale stash house, and decide to attack it despite its heavy fortifications. A shootout ensues, with deaths on both sides. When the Major Case Unit is instructed to pursue a new, unrelated target McNulty refuses to divert his attention from the Barksdale Organization. Cutty visits an old flame. Bodie's crew are beaten for encroaching on Marlo Stanfield's [100] territory.

Season 3

62
29 4 "Hamsterdam" David Simon & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Ernest Dickerson October 10, 2004

"Why you got to go and fuck with the program?" - Fruit West Baltimore residents get some surprising straight talk from Major Colvin at a community meeting. Colvin has little success convincing area drug dealers to relocate to his tolerant zones. Carcetti reveals his mayoral political ambitions and pursues a campaign manager. Cutty gives up his attempts at straight work and joins the Barksdale Organization. Avon Barksdale is paroled despite the Major Case Unit's previous work against him. [101] Stringer continues to invest in property development. 30 5 "Straight and True" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Dan Attias October 17, 2004

"I had such fuckin' hopes for us." - McNulty Frustrated in his grass-roots reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence from the Major Case Unit and approaches the mid-level drug dealers instead. McNulty sees Stringer is now unreachable as a drug target because of his ties to legitimate business. Stringer throws a welcome home party for Avon and launches a citywide Co-Op for drug dealers but fails to recruit immediate West side rival Marlo Stanfield. Detective Greggs follows Stanfield to his meeting with Stringer. Dissent spreads in Omar's crew over his bloody minded pursuit of the Barksdale [102] Organization. 31 6 "Homecoming" David Simon & Rafael Alvarez Rafael Alvarez Leslie Libman October 31, 2004

"Just a gangster, I suppose." - Avon Barksdale Stringer gets an education in construction management and explores the opportunities of Colvin's new drug tolerant zones. Meanwhile Avon initiates a war over territory with Marlo but is dismayed at the ineptitude of his people when several are killed while attempting a drive-by shooting. Cutty finds that he has lost the ability to kill and leaves the Barksdale Organization with Avon's blessing. A frustrated Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys ignoring his new edict. Carcetti manipulates another councilman into joining the mayoral race in order to divide the city's black votes while concealing his own intention to run. McNulty and Greggs are ready to give up on targeting Stringer when the new violence gives them [103] another reason. However, they must go behind Daniels' back to have the unit reassigned as he is angry about their disloyalty to date. 32 7 "Back Burners" David Simon & Joy Lusco Joy Lusco Tim Van Patten November 7, 2004

"Conscience do cost." - Butchie Daniels sees the reason his unit was reassigned from Pimlico and tells McNulty he will have to leave as he cannot trust him. The unit find that the drug dealers are using disposable phones and begin to formulate an investigative strategy. Marlo dispatches a drive-by on a Barksdale corner from the calm of his pigeon coop. Carcetti pressures the mayor over witness protection. The Western District officers begin to become dissatisfied with [104] policing Colvin's tolerant zones. 33 8 "Moral Midgetry" David Simon & Richard Price Richard Price Agnieszka Holland November 14, 2004

"Crawl, walk, and then run." - Clay Davis Carcetti flouts his advisors' counsel and pressures Burrell over witness protection. The Major Case Unit track the buyer of phones for the Barksdale Organization. Brianna and McNulty sit down for a heart-to-heart. Avon dispatches the troops to track Omar and tries to ensnare Marlo in a trap. Avon is wounded when Marlo senses the trap and then wrestles with a revelation by Stringer. A local deacon helps Cutty to plan a new life and is [105] dismayed at the standard of life for drug users in Colvin's tolerant zones. Stringer reveals to Avon that he arranged for the murder of D'Angelo. 34 9 "Slapstick" David Simon & George Pelecanos David Simon Alex Zakrzewski November 21, 2004

"...while you're waiting for moments that never come." - Freamon A Barksdale crew member violates the long-standing but unspoken Sunday morning truce when he tries to kill Omar. There is increasing discontent among the co-op over the Barksdale/Stanfield turf war. The deacon convinces Colvin to introduce public health programs in the tolerant zones and the Western District officers are dismayed at the apparent permanence of the endeavor. A murder takes place in the "Hamsterdam" tolerant zone and Carver moves the body out of loyalty to Colvin. Carver's partner Thomas "Herc" Hauk reaches a breaking point and calls the press about the tolerant zones. The Major Case Unit begin to build probable cause for their wiretaps but are worried that the dealers change phones too frequently. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski shoots another officer in a case of night time mistaken identity. Carcetti finds a potential ally in State Delegate Odell [106] Watkins and organizes state funding for witness protection. 35 10 "Reformation" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Christine Moore November 28, 2004

Season 3

63

"Call it a crisis of leadership." - Proposition Joe The Barksdale/Stanfield war continues to intensify with deaths on both sides. Avon refuses to accept Stringer's advice to follow the co-op's proposal for a truce. Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar. Omar has his own plan for vengeance against Stringer. Carver gets some frank advice about his failings as an officer from Colvin. Colvin persuades the reporter that Herc has spoken with to hold his story on the tolerant zones. Colvin finally reveals his actions to his superiors. Burrell is incensed and takes the information straight to Mayor Royce. Royce is reluctant to shut the project down because of its success in reducing crime. When their first wiretaps go dead after just a few days the Major Case Unit are dismayed. Lester Freamon overcomes the problem by organizing to supply the Barksdale Organization with pre-wiretapped phones. Cutty opens a boxing gym for local children but finds his poor equipment and their behavior difficult to deal [107] with. 36 11 "Middle Ground" David Simon & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Joe Chappelle December 12, 2004

"We ain't gotta dream no more, man." - Stringer Bell Cutty convinces Avon to give him money to fund his gym. Brother Mouzone forms an alliance with Omar when he discovers that Stringer betrayed him. Royce continues to delay closing down the tolerant zones alienating Burrell and Watkins. Burrell leaks the story to Carcetti. Stringer learns that he has been conned into making political contributions for no return and tries to convince Avon to order the murder of Senator Clay Davis. The wiretaps begin to yield information about the Barksdale organization and the unit get a recording of Stringer discussing contract killers. Stringer meets with Colvin and gives him the location of Avon's safehouse believing that returning Avon to prison is the best way to end the war. Meanwhile, Brother Mouzone meets with Avon and convinces him to give Stringer's whereabouts away so that he can exact his revenge. Omar and [108] Mouzone ambush and kill Stringer. 37 12 "Mission Accomplished" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Ernest Dickerson December 19, 2004

"...we fight on that lie." - Slim Charles A reticent Avon readies his troops for war against Marlo. The press descend on Hamsterdam and Royce finally realizes his delay was a mistake. Carcetti is there to capitalize on the bad publicity for the Mayor. A vengeful Burrell ensures Colvin's retirement is not comfortable. McNulty is devastated that Stringer was killed before he could arrest him but his spirits lift when he gets a chance to bring down Avon instead. With the information from Stringer the Major Case Unit arrest Avon and most of his people. Cutty struggles to keep his young boxers off the corners as the [109] Stanfield organization enjoy their victory. McNulty leaves the Major Case Unit to patrol the Western District.

References
[1] "Joe Chappelle biography" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ joe_chappelle. shtml). HBO. . Retrieved October 13, 2007. [2] Goldman, Eric. "IGN Exclusive Interview: The Wire's David Simon" (http:/ / tv. ign. com/ articles/ 742/ 742350p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved September 27, 2007. [3] "Cast & Crew - Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ dominic_west. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [4] "Character profile - Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jimmy_mcnulty. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [5] "Cast & Crew - Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ lance_reddick. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [6] "Character profile - Lieutenant Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cedric_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [7] "Cast & Crew - Sonja Sohn as Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ sonja_sohn. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [8] "Character profile - Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ kima_greggs. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [9] "Cast & Crew - Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ clarke_peters. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [10] "Character profile - Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ lester_freamon. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [11] "Cast & Crew - Deirdre Lovejoy as Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ deirdre_lovejoy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [12] "Character profile - Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ rhonda_pearlman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [13] "Cast & Crew - Wood Harris as Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

Season 3
[14] "Character profile - Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [15] "Cast & Crew - Idris Elba as Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ idris_elba. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [16] "Character profile - Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stringer_bell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [17] "Cast & Crew - Andre Royo as Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ andre_royo. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [18] "Character profile - Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bubbles. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [19] "Cast & Crew - Frankie R. Faison as Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ frankie_r_faison. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [20] "Character profile - Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ervin_burrell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [21] "Cast & Crew - John Doman as William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ john_doman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [22] "Character profile - William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ william_rawls. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [23] "Cast & Crew - Wendell Pierce as William "Bunk" Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ wendell_pierce. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [24] "Character profile - Bunk Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bunk_moreland. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [25] "Cast & Crew - Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ seth_gilliam. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [26] "Cast & Crew - Domenick Lombardozzi as Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ domenick_lombardozzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [27] "Cast & Crew - Corey Parker Robinson as Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ corey_parker_robinson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [28] "Cast & Crew - Jim True-Frost as Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jim_truefrost. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [29] "Cast & Crew - JD Williams as Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jd_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [30] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_k_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [31] "Cast & Crew - Robert Wisdom as Howard "Bunny" Colvin" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ robert_wisdom. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [32] "Character profile - Howard "Bunny" Colvin" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bunny_colvin. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [33] "Character profile - Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ellis_carver. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [34] "Character profile - Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ herc_hauk. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [35] "Character profile - Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ leander_sydnor. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [36] "Character profile - Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prez. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [37] "Character profile - Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bodie. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [38] "Character profile - Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ omar. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [39] "Cast & Crew - Aidan Gillen as Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ aidan_gillen. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [40] "Character profile - Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ tommy_carcetti. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [41] "Cast & Crew - Chris Bauer as Frank Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ chris_bauer. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [42] "Cast & Crew - Paul Ben Victor as Spiros "Vondas" Vondopolous" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ paul_ben_victor. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

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Season 3
[43] "Cast & Crew - Larry Gilliard, Jr. as D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ larry_gilliard. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [44] "Cast & Crew - Amy Ryan as Beatrice "Beadie" Russell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ port/ amy_ryan. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [45] "Cast & Crew - Robert F. Chew as Proposition Joe Stewart" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ robert_f_chew. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [46] "Character profile - Proposition Joe Stewart" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prop_joe. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [47] "Cast & Crew - Method Man as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ method_man. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [48] "Character profile - Brother Mouzone" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ brother_mouzone. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [49] "Cast & Crew - Hassan Johnson as Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ hassan_johnson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [50] "Character profile - Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ weebey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [51] "Cast & Crew - Tray Chaney as Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ tray_chaney. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [52] "Character profile - Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ poot. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [53] "Cast & Crew - Leo Fitzpatrick as Johnny" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ leo_fitzpatrick. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [54] "Character profile - Johnny" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ johnny. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [55] "Cast & Crew - Michael Hyatt as Brianna Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_hyatt. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [56] "Character profile - Brianna Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ brianna_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [57] "Cast & Crew - Shamyl Brown as Donette" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ shamyl_brown. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [58] "Character profile - Donette" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ donette. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [59] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kostroff as Maurice "Maury" Levy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_kostroff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [60] "Character profile - Maurice "Maury" Levy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ maury_levy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [61] "Cast & Crew - Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as R. Clayton "Clay" Davis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ isiah_whitlock_jr. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [62] "Character profile - R. Clayton "Clay" Davis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ clay_davis. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [63] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 27, 2006. [64] "Cast & Crew - Delaney Williams as Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ delaney_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [65] "Character profile - Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [66] "Cast & Crew - Ed Norris as Ed Norris" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ ed_norris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [67] "Character profile - Ed Norris" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ edward_norris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [68] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 22, 2006. [69] "Cast & Crew - Al Brown as Stanislaus Valchek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ al_brown. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [70] "Character profile - Stanislaus Valchek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stan_valchek. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [71] "Cast & Crew - Jay Landsman as Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [72] "Character profile - Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dennis_mello. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [73] "Cast & Crew - Jamie Hector as Marlo Stanfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jamie_hector. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

65

Season 3
[74] "Character profile - Marlo Stanfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marlo_stanfield. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [75] "Cast & Crew - Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ gbenga_akinnagbe. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [76] "Character profile - Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chris_partlow. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [77] "Cast & Crew - Felicia Pearson as Felicia "Snoop" Pearson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ felicia_pearson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [78] "Character profile - Felicia "Snoop" Pearson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ snoop. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [79] "Cast & Crew - Anwan Glover as Slim Charles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ anwan_glover. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [80] "Character profile - Slim Charles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ slim_charles. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [81] "Cast & Crew - Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ chad_l_coleman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [82] "Character profile - Dennis "Cutty" Wise" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cutty. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [83] "Cast & Crew - Glynn Turman as Clarence Royce" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ glynn_turman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [84] "Character profile - Clarence V. Royce" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ clarence_royce. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [85] "Character profile - Coleman Parker" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chief_of_staff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [86] "Cast & Crew - Brandy Burre as Theresa D'Agostino" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ brandy_burre. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [87] "Character profile - Theresa D'agostino" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ theresa_dagostino. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [88] "Cast & Crew - Frederick Strother as Odell Watkins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ frederick_strother. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [89] "Character profile - Odell Watkins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ odell_watkins. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [90] "Cast & Crew - Christopher Mann as Anthony Gray" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ christopher_mann. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [91] "Character profile - Anthony Gray" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ anthony_gray. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [92] "Cast & Crew - Gregory L. Williams as Michael Crutchfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ gregory_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [93] "Character profile - Detective Michael Crutchfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_crutchfield. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 14, 2008. [94] "Cast & Crew - Joilet F. Harris as Caroline Massey" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ joilet_harris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [95] "Character profile - Caroline Massey" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ caroline_massey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [96] "Cast & Crew - Rick Otto as Kenneth Dozerman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ rick_otto. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [97] "Character profile - Kenneth Dozerman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dozerman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [98] "Episode guide - episode 26 Time After Time" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode01. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 7, 2006. [99] "Episode guide - episode 27 All Due Respect" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode02. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 7, 2006. [100] "Episode guide - episode 28 Dead Soldiers" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode03. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 7, 2006. [101] "Episode guide - episode 29 Amsterdam" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode04. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 7, 2006. [102] "Episode guide - episode 30 Straight and True" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode05. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006.

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Season 3
[103] "Episode guide - episode 31 Homecoming" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode06. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [104] "Episode guide - episode 32 Back Burners" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode07. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [105] "Episode guide - episode 33 Moral Midgetry" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode08. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [106] "Episode guide - episode 34 slapstick" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode09. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [107] "Episode guide - episode 35 reformation" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode10. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [108] "Episode guide - episode 36 middle ground" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode11. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [109] "Episode guide - episode 37 mission accomplished" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season3/ episode12. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006.

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External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) List of The Wire episodes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/episodes) at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire season 3 episodes (http://www.tv.com/the-wire/show/8800/episode.html?season=3) at TV.com

Season 4

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Season 4
The Wire season 4
DVD cover
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 13 Broadcast Original channel Original run HBO September 10, 2006 December10,2006 Home video release DVD release Region 1 December 4, 2007

The fourth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on September 10, 2006, concluded on December 10, 2006, and contained 13 episodes. It introduces Baltimore's school system and several middle school students while continuing to examine the remnants of the Barksdale Organization, the ascendant Stanfield Organization, the Baltimore Police Department and politicians. The fourth season aired on Sundays at 9:00 pm in the United States. The season was released on DVD as a four disc boxed set under the title of The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season on December 4, 2007 by HBO video.[1]

Production
Crew
Playwright and television writer/producer Eric Overmyer joined the crew of The Wire in the show's fourth season as a consulting producer and writer.[2] He had previously worked on Homicide. Overmyer was brought into the full-time production staff to replace George Pelecanos who scaled back his involvement to concentrate on his next book and worked on the fourth season solely as a writer.[3] Emmy-award winner, Homicide and The Corner writer and college friend of Simon David Mills also joined the writing staff in the fourth season.[2] Regular writer Ed Burns also became a producer on The Wire in the show's fourth season.[2]

Cast
The focus of the fourth season shifted among a local school, the mayoral election, police department politics and action on the street corners. The returning starring cast consisted of Dominic West as Officer Jimmy McNulty, the formerly insubordinate detective who attempts to shed his ability and his problems in favor of a better life.[4][5] Lance Reddick reprised his role as newly promoted Major Cedric Daniels, now commanding the western district.[6][7] One of Daniel's sergeants within the district was Sergeant Ellis Carver, portrayed by Seth Gilliam.[8] Robert Wisdom reprised his role as former western district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin,[9] who has become a field researcher after a short stint working in hotel security following his retirement from the Baltimore Police Department. The Major Crimes Unit sees a shift in personnel this season. Kima Greggs, portrayed by Sonja Sohn,[10][11] Lester Freamon, portrayed by Clarke Peters,[12][13] transfer to the Homicide Unit after the new lieutenant of the Major Crimes Unit ends the wire and halts Freamon's investigation of the Barksdale money. Corey Parker-Robinson portrays Detective Leander Sydnor, one of two detectives who remain in the Major Crimes Unit after the arrival of

Season 4 the new lieutenant.[14] Domenick Lombardozzi returned as Thomas "Herc" Hauk, a former member of the Major Crimes Unit whose work on the mayor's security detail earns him a promotion to sergeant and a transfer back to his old unit after Freamon and Greggs' departure.[15][16] Wendell Pierce portrayed veteran homicide detective Bunk Moreland.[17][18] Deirdre Lovejoy starred as assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman, the legal liaison between the unit and the courthouse.[19][20] Andre Royo returned as Bubbles, who continued to indulge his drug addiction and act as an occasional informant.[21][22] Jim True-Frost portrayed Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski,[23] a former member of the Major Crimes Unit who has become a teacher in an inner city school after inadvertently killing a fellow officer in season three. The police were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Deputy Commissioner of Operations William Rawls (John Doman) and Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison).[24][25][26][27] At city hall, Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen)[28][29] was an ambitious city councilman seeking to become mayor. Joining the cast for the fourth season was Reg E. Cathey as Carcetti's deputy campaign manager, Norman Wilson.[28] Also joining the cast after having a recurring role during the third season was Glynn Turman as Mayor Clarence Royce.[30] On the streets, former Barksdale crew chief Bodie Broadus (J.D. Williams)[31][32] joins the organization of new drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector).[33] Michael K. Williams portrayed renowned stick-up man Omar Little.[34][35] Joining the cast this season after having a recurring role in season three is Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise, a reformed member of the Barksdale organization who has opened a boxing gym for neighborhood children. Two members of the third season starring cast did not return for the fourth season with the change in focus and the termination of those characters' storylines. Wood Harris (Avon Barksdale)[36][37] and Idris Elba (Stringer Bell)[38][39] leave the starring cast at the beginning of the fourth season. Recurring characters Many guest stars from the earlier seasons reprised their roles. On the side of the street Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), the East Side's cautious drug kingpin, became more cooperative with the Stanfield Organization after the death of Stringer Bell.[40][41] His lieutenant "Cheese" (Method Man) continued to elude the Major Crimes Unit investigation.[42][42] Hassan Johnson reprises his role as incarcerated Barksdale enforcer Wee-Bey Brice.[43][44] Former Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles (Anwan Glover) returned as a new recruit to Proposition Joe's organization.[45][46] Several members of the Stanfield Organization introduced in season three also returned: Chris Partlow (Gbenga Akinnagbe), Stanfield's chief enforcer;[47][48] and Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (Felicia Pearson), Partlow's protg.[49][50] Tray Chaney continues to portray former Barksdale crew chief Poot Carr, who joins the Stanfield organization this season.[51][52] Michael Hyatt reprised her role as Brianna Barksdale.[53][54] Michael Kostroff returned as the defence attorney Maurice Levy.[55][56] Isiah Whitlock, Jr. reprised his role as corrupt State Senator Clay Davis whose involvement with Barksdale money causes him trouble with the Major Crimes Unit.[57][58] Omar Little's crew shifted focus to the Stansfield Organization and the New Day Co-op and consisted of his new boyfriend Renaldo (Ramn Rodrguez), partner Kimmy (Kelli R. Brown), and advisor Butchie (S. Robert Morgan).[59] Many guest stars also reprised their characters from the police department. Returning guest stars in the homicide unit include Delaney Williams as Sergeant Jay Landsman,[60][61] Ed Norris as Detective Ed Norris,[62][63] and Brian Anthony Wilson as Detective Vernon Holley.[64] Al Brown and Jay Landsman reprised their roles as Major Stan Valchek and Lieutenant Dennis Mello.[65][66][67][68] Michael Salconi recurred as veteran Western patrolman Michael Santangelo.[64] Gregory L. Williams played Michael Crutchfield, a cantankerous homicide detective.[69][70] Joilet F. Harris returned as Caroline Massey, an officer in the Major Crimes Unit.[71][72] Joining the Major Crimes Unit this season is Kenneth Dozerman (Rick Otto),[73][74] In the western district, Carver's squad includes Anthony Colicchio (Benjamin Busch), Lloyd "Truck" Garrick (Ryan Sands), and Lambert (Nakia Dillard).[64]

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Season 4 In the political storyline, [64] Cleo Reginald Pizana returned as Coleman Parker, Royce's chief-of-staff.[75] Brandy Burre appeared as Theresa D'Agostino, a political campaign consultant.[76][77] Frederick Strother performed as Odell Watkins, a state delegate and political king-maker.[78][79] Christopher Mann played Carcetti's city council colleague Anthony Gray.[80][81] Maria Broom returns as Marla Daniels, the estranged wife of Major Daniels who is running for a seat on the city council.[82] The fourth season also saw the return of two former starring characters from the second season: Amy Ryan as Officer Beadie Russell, an officer at the port and Jimmy McNulty's domestic partner, and Paul Ben-Victor as Spiros Vondas, the second in command of the Greek's drug smuggling operation. The shift of focus to the schools saw the introduction of four young actors in major recurring roles this season, Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems;[83] Maestro Harrell as Randy Wagstaff;[84] Julito McCullum as Namond Brice;[85] and Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee.[86] The characters are friends from a West Baltimore middle school.[87][88][89][90] Other new characters from the school included Tootsie Duvall as Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly;[82] David Parenti (Dan DeLuca), a Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland who works with Bunny Colvin in the school to study potential violent offenders;[91] Stacie Davis portrayed Miss Duquette, a doctoral student who works with Parenti and Colvin; Aaron "Bug" Manigault (Keenon Brice), Michael Lee's younger brother; Kenard (Thuliso Dingwall), one of the younger members of Namond Brice's circle of friends;[92] and Richard Hidlebird as Principal Claudell Withers.[93]

70

Reception
The fourth season of The Wire has been universally lauded and hailed as one of the best seasons of television ever produced. As of 2012, it is the highest rated individual TV season of all time on Metacritic with a score of 98 based on 21 criticsincluding 17 perfect score reviews.[94]

Awards and nominations

The writing staff of the fourth season was nominated for two awards at the 2008 Writer's Guild of America Awards best dramatic series and best episodic drama for the episode "Final Grades" (story by David Simon and Ed Burns, teleplay by David Simon).[95][96]

Episodes
"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season. All episodes were made available by HBO six days earlier than their broadcast date, via On Demand.
Series # 38 Season # 1 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"Boys of Summer"

David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon

Joe Chappelle

September 10, 2006

"Lambs to the slaughter here." - Marcia Donnelly Four West Baltimore boys wrestle with what to do with the rest of their summer vacation. When unkempt outcast Duquan "Dukie" Weems is beaten up by a neighbouring group of children, Michael Lee is the quiet leader of the group's retaliation. Randy Wagstaff has the imagination to plan the endeavour. Namond Brice is the most outspoken and the richest of the four. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski prepares for his new career as a school teacher. The Major Crimes Unit has a wiretap investigation into the new power in West Baltimore - the Stanfield Organization. They remain unaware that when Marlo Stanfield orders a death the target is taken to a vacant building and killed by enforcers Chris Partlow and "Snoop." Randy is unwittingly involved in one such disappearance. The mayoral election campaign between councilman Tommy Carcetti and incumbent mayor [97] Clarence Royce begins to take shape. 39 2 "Soft Eyes" Ed Burns & David Mills David Mills Christine Moore September 17, 2006

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"I still wake up white in a city that ain't." - Carcetti Thomas "Herc" Hauk is now working for the Mayor's security detail. He catches Royce in a compromising position and learns how to spin it into a promotion opportunity. Namond visits his father, Wee-Bey Brice, in prison. Wee-Bey urges Namond to work harder at his job with drug dealer Bodie Broadus but Namond swaps it with Michael as he is in greater financial need. Bunk Moreland investigates a murder but finds his prime suspect missing. Rhonda Pearlman and Lester Freamon argue over delivering subpoenas to political figures. Another murder involving a state's witness gives Carcetti damaging ammunition in a debate with Royce. Marlo gives money away to the neighborhood children and Michael catches his attention when he refuses the handout. Dennis "Cutty" Wise continues to run the community boxing gym and also notices Michael because of [98] his aptitude for the sport. Bubbles mentors young and homeless Sherrod in his junk selling business. 40 3 "Home Rooms" Ed Burns & Richard Price Richard Price Seith Mann September 24, 2006

"I love the first day, man. Everybody all friendly an' shit." - Namond Brice Royce strikes back against Carcetti with his mayoral powers, however, he alienates State Delegate Watkins over his refusal to fund witness protection. Carcetti impresses Watkins by his reserved behaviour at the funeral of the murdered witness. Bunk visits Jimmy McNulty and Beadie Russell for dinner and finds McNulty sober and enjoying domestic life. Marlo Stanfield visits Bodie's corner and muscles him into selling the Stanfield package. Marlo is impressed with Michael a second time when he sees him working for Bodie. Proposition Joe and his New Day Co-Op face problems on two fronts; New York drug dealers on the East side and the Stanfield Organization in the West; they agree to attempt to negotiate with Marlo. Omar Little robs a Stanfield stash house. Rawls sends a caustic new lieutenant to gut the major case unit from the inside. Freamon and Kima Greggs leave for the homicide unit. Howard "Bunny" Colvin embarks on a new career as a researcher into violent behaviour. Prez is shocked [99] by a violent incident in his classroom. 41 4 "Refugees" Ed Burns & Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane Jim McKay October 1, 2006

"No one wins. One side just loses more slowly." - Prez As the homicide unit's newest detective Greggs is assigned to the high-profile witness case in an attempt to stall the investigation until after the election. Freamon joins Bunk on finding his missing suspect and realizes the connection to the lack of violence from the Stanfield Organization. Freamon suggests the suspect has been killed and his body hidden. Marlo loses big in a poker game and decides to take over Bodie's corner. Chris and Snoop assess Michael as a potential recruit. Proposition Joe manipulates Omar into robbing Marlo's next card game. Watkins becomes more angry with Royce when he sees he has reneged on a promise to back his protege Marla Daniels for a council seat. Randy is caught truanting and [100] becomes a reluctant informant for the teachers. 42 5 "Alliances" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns David Platt October 8, 2006

"If you with us, you with us." - Chris Partlow Carcetti learns that Greggs has been assigned the witness case and uses the information against Royce. Watkins forms an alliance with Carcetti. Now a sergeant in the major case unit, Herc takes part in a series of ill-advised raids that fail to render any significant arrests. Herc takes a video camera without permission to surveil Stanfield. Marlo tries to enlist Michael but he rejects the offer. Marlo arranges to have Omar framed for murder. Dukie debunks Randy's theory that the Chris and Snoop's victims are undead and shows him the bodies. Prez struggles to control his [101] student's behaviour. Bubbles is beaten by another drug addict and throws Sherrod out for truanting. 43 6 "Margin of Error" Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer Eric Overmyer Dan Attias October 15, 2006

"Don't try this shit at home." - Norman Wilson Namond is pushed into drug dealing by his mother when they are cut off by the remnants of the Barksdale Organization (who had been supporting them). Randy reveals his involvement in the murder to his teachers and is placed under Sergeant Ellis Carver's care. Marlo proves elusive despite Herc's camera. Colvin's new special class separates the worst behaved students (known as "Corner Kids") from their peers. Carcetti wins the [102] election despite a last minute smear campaign. Omar is arrested for the murder Marlo organized. 44 7 "Unto Others" Ed Burns & William F. Zorzi William F. Zorzi Anthony Hemingway October 29, 2006

"Aw yeah. That golden rule." - The Bunk Royce and Carcetti make their peace. Prez has a good day with his class minus the "corner kids". Omar convinces Bunk to help him prove his innocence. Greggs uses "soft eyes" at a crime scene and finds the witness killing was accidental. Marlo steals Herc's surveillance camera provoking him into a more direct approach. Carver hands Randy over to Herc who fails to understand the importance of his story. Sherrod begins working in the drug trade and fights with Namond over territory. After receiving a beating Namond disrupts Colvin's class. Proposition Joe continues to court [103] Marlo's involvement with the Co-Op.

Season 4

72
45 8 "Corner Boys" Ed Burns & Richard Price Richard Price Agnieszka Holland November 5, 2006

"We got our thing, but it's just part of the big thing." - Zenobia Colvin uses corner logic in class and is greeted with enthusiasm, particularly from Namond. Michael is devastated when his stepfather returns to live with him. Bunk exposes the frame on Omar but antagonizes his colleagues by meddling in the case. Herc stops Chris and Snoop and fails to realize the significance of the tools he finds in their car - they use them to conceal the corpses of their victims. Carcetti makes the rounds and discusses his plans as Mayor and his intentions for the future. He considers employing a new police commissioner and Cedric Daniels sees his stock [104] rising. 46 9 "Know Your Place" Ed Burns & Kia Corthron Kia Corthron Alex Zakrzewski November 12, 2006

"Might as well dump 'em, get another." - Proposition Joe Bubbles identifies a witness for Herc but Herc fails to return the favor by protecting him from his tormentor. Colvin offers an incentive to his class. Old Face Andre turns to Proposition Joe for protection after his ineptitude in the framing of Omar. Joe ingratiates himself with Marlo by handing Andre over to Chris and Snoop. Marlo finally joins the Co-Op and his enforcers begin to take on the New York drug dealers. Carver warns Namond about his drug dealing. Carcetti restricts commissioner Ervin Burrell's authority and insists on a promotion for Daniels. Michael takes his problem [105] with his step father to Marlo. Omar plans revenge on Marlo and Proposition Joe. 47 10 "Misgivings" Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer Ed Burns Ernest Dickerson November 19, 2006

"World goin' one way, people another." - Poot Burrell's new mandate for quality of life arrests is met with civil disobedience and political maneuvering. Chris takes care of Michael's problem. Marlo has a member of Bodie's crew killed after he is interviewed by Herc and orders word spread about Randy for the same reason. Carver arrests Namond and he reaches out to Colvin for help. After another beating, Bubbles gets revenge for Herc's continual betrayals by setting him up to arrest [106] a minister. The teachers are pressured to teach test material despite their recent successes. 48 11 "A New Day" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Brad Anderson November 26, 2006

"You play in dirt, you get dirty." - McNulty Carcetti faces a dilemma over a complaint from the minister against Herc. Carcetti galvanizes other departments into action with non-specific complaints. Randy faces bullying from his school mates after he is exposed as an informant. Omar tricks Proposition Joe into giving away the timing of his next shipment. Freamon is tempted back to Major Crimes by Daniels and has a revelation regarding the hiding place of the missing [107] bodies. 49 12 "That's Got His Own" Ed Burns & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Joe Chappelle December 3, 2006

"That all there is to it?" - Bubbles Prez is rankled by Dukie's social promotion to high school after having become close to him. Omar orchestrates the theft of the Co-Op's shipment. Michael trains as an enforcer in the Stanfield Organization and violently alienates Cutty and Namond. Randy is kept home for his own protection but an arson attack on his home leaves his foster mother horribly burned. Herc is suspended for his loss of the camera. Freamon's discovery of bodies in vacant houses damages the homicide unit's annual clearance rate. Daniels realizes the statistics can be blamed on Royce so Carcetti approves a city wide search. Carcetti faces a massive school budget deficit and is forced to go to the governor for assistance. Bubbles prepares a [108] lethal vial of narcotics for his tormentor but Sherrod takes it unwittingly and dies. 50 13 "Final Grades" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Ernest Dickerson December 10, 2006

"If animal trapped call 410-844-6286." - Baltimore, traditional Bubbles attempts suicide after confessing his part in Sherrod's death and is taken to rehab. Freamon begins to build his investigation and has Chris and Snoop brought in for DNA samples. Bodie reaches breaking point over Marlo's murder of his people and turns to McNulty. Bodie is later killed on his corner after the meeting is observed. McNulty decides to rejoin the Major Crimes Unit. Proposition Joe is forced to reveal his supplier to Marlo to reassure the Co-Op after Omar's robbery. Marlo meets with Spiros Vondas who vouches for Joe. Omar brazenly sells the stolen drugs back to the Co-Op. Carcetti rejects the Governor's offer of assistance with the schools as it would cost his career too much in the future. Despite Carver's efforts to prevent it, Randy is reluctantly returned to a group home. Colvin's special class is shut down by the education board. However, he persuades Namond's parents to let Namond live with him in order to keep him away from drug dealing. Michael commits his first murder and is [109] given Bodie's corner to run; Dukie is unable to settle in high school and joins his crew.

Season 4

73

References
[1] "The Wire - Want Some Holiday Scoop? Release Date, Lower-Than-Typical Cost for HBO's 4th Season" (http:/ / www. tvshowsondvd. com/ news/ Wire-Season-4-Release-Date/ 7992). TVShowsOnDVD.com. September 3, 2007. . Retrieved November 26, 2007. [2] "The Wire season 4 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_4. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [3] ""The Wire" on HBO: Play Or Get Played, Exclusive Q&A With David Simon (page 17)" (http:/ / www. borderline-productions. com/ TheWireHBO/ exclusive-17. html). 2006. . Retrieved October 16, 2007. [4] "Cast & Crew - Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ dominic_west. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [5] "Character profile - Jimmy McNulty" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jimmy_mcnulty. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [6] "Cast & Crew - Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ lance_reddick. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [7] "Character profile - Lieutenant Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cedric_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [8] "Cast & Crew - Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ seth_gilliam. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [9] "Cast & Crew - Robert Wisdom as Howard "Bunny" Colvin" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ robert_wisdom. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [10] "Cast & Crew - Sonja Sohn as Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ sonja_sohn. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [11] "Character profile - Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ kima_greggs. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [12] "Cast & Crew - Clarke Peters as Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ clarke_peters. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [13] "Character profile - Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ lester_freamon. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [14] "Cast & Crew - Corey Parker Robinson as Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ corey_parker_robinson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [15] "Cast & Crew - Domenick Lombardozzi as Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ domenick_lombardozzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [16] "Character profile - Thomas "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ herc_hauk. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [17] "Cast & Crew - Wendell Pierce as William "Bunk" Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ wendell_pierce. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [18] "Character profile - Bunk Moreland" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bunk_moreland. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [19] "Cast & Crew - Deirdre Lovejoy as Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ deirdre_lovejoy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [20] "Character profile - Rhonda Pearlman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ rhonda_pearlman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [21] "Cast & Crew - Andre Royo as Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ andre_royo. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [22] "Character profile - Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bubbles. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [23] "Cast & Crew - Jim True-Frost as Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jim_truefrost. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved August 6, 2008. [24] "Cast & Crew - Frankie R. Faison as Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ frankie_r_faison. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [25] "Character profile - Ervin Burrell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ervin_burrell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [26] "Cast & Crew - John Doman as William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ john_doman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [27] "Character profile - William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ william_rawls. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [28] "Cast & Crew - Aidan Gillen as Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ aidan_gillen. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [29] "Character profile - Thomas "Tommy" Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ tommy_carcetti. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

Season 4
[30] "Cast & Crew - Glynn Turman as Clarence Royce" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ reg_cathey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved August 6, 2008. [31] "Cast & Crew - JD Williams as Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jd_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [32] "Character profile - Preston "Bodie" Broadus" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bodie. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [33] "Character profile - Marlo Stanfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marlo_stanfield. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 14, 2006. [34] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_k_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [35] "Character profile - Omar Little" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ omar. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [36] "Cast & Crew - Wood Harris as Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [37] "Character profile - Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [38] "Cast & Crew - Idris Elba as Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ idris_elba. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [39] "Character profile - Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stringer_bell. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [40] "Cast & Crew - Robert F. Chew as Proposition Joe Stewart" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ robert_f_chew. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [41] "Character profile - Proposition Joe Stewart" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prop_joe. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [42] "Cast & Crew - Method Man as Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ method_man. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [43] "Cast & Crew - Hassan Johnson as Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ hassan_johnson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [44] "Character profile - Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ weebey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [45] "Cast & Crew - Anwan Glover as Slim Charles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ anwan_glover. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [46] "Character profile - Slim Charles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ slim_charles. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [47] "Cast & Crew - Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ gbenga_akinnagbe. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [48] "Character profile - Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chris_partlow. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [49] "Cast & Crew - Felicia Pearson as Felicia "Snoop" Pearson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ felicia_pearson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [50] "Character profile - Felicia "Snoop" Pearson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ snoop. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [51] "Cast & Crew - Tray Chaney as Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ tray_chaney. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [52] "Character profile - Malik "Poot" Carr" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ poot. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [53] "Cast & Crew - Michael Hyatt as Brianna Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_hyatt. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [54] "Character profile - Brianna Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ brianna_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [55] "Cast & Crew - Michael Kostroff as Maurice "Maury" Levy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ michael_kostroff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [56] "Character profile - Maurice "Maury" Levy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ maury_levy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [57] "Cast & Crew - Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as R. Clayton "Clay" Davis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ isiah_whitlock_jr. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [58] "Character profile - R. Clayton "Clay" Davis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ clay_davis. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [59] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 27, 2006.

74

Season 4
[60] "Cast & Crew - Delaney Williams as Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ delaney_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [61] "Character profile - Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [62] "Cast & Crew - Ed Norris as Ed Norris" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ ed_norris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [63] "Character profile - Ed Norris" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ edward_norris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [64] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 22, 2006. [65] "Cast & Crew - Al Brown as Stanislaus Valchek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ al_brown. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [66] "Character profile - Stanislaus Valchek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stan_valchek. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [67] "Cast & Crew - Jay Landsman as Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [68] "Character profile - Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dennis_mello. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [69] "Cast & Crew - Gregory L. Williams as Michael Crutchfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ gregory_williams. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [70] "Character profile - Detective Michael Crutchfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_crutchfield. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 14, 2008. [71] "Cast & Crew - Joilet F. Harris as Caroline Massey" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ joilet_harris. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [72] "Character profile - Caroline Massey" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ caroline_massey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [73] "Cast & Crew - Rick Otto as Kenneth Dozerman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ rick_otto. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [74] "Character profile - Kenneth Dozerman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dozerman. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [75] "Character profile - Coleman Parker" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chief_of_staff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [76] "Cast & Crew - Brandy Burre as Theresa D'Agostino" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ brandy_burre. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [77] "Character profile - Theresa D'agostino" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ theresa_dagostino. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [78] "Cast & Crew - Frederick Strother as Odell Watkins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ frederick_strother. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [79] "Character profile - Odell Watkins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ odell_watkins. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [80] "Cast & Crew - Christopher Mann as Anthony Gray" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ christopher_mann. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [81] "Character profile - Anthony Gray" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ anthony_gray. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [82] "Character profile - Marla Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marla_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved July 22, 2006. [83] "Cast & Crew - Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ jermaine_crawford. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [84] "Cast & Crew - Maestro Harrell as Randy Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ maestro_harrell. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [85] "Cast & Crew - Julito McCullum as Namond Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ julito_mccullum. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [86] "Cast & Crew - Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ tristan_wilds. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [87] "Character profile - Namond Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ namond_brice. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [88] "Character profile - Michael Lee" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_lee. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [89] "Character profile - Randy Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ randy_wagstaff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008.

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Season 4
[90] "Character profile - Duquan "Dukie" Weems" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ duquan_dukie_weems. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 15, 2008. [91] "Character profile UM Professor David Parenti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ david_parenti. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved October 28, 2006. [92] "Character profile Kenard" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ kenard. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved October 29, 2006. [93] "Character profile Principal Claudell Withers" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ claudell_withers. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved October 29, 2006. [94] "The Wire: Season 4" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ tv/ the-wire/ season-4). Metacritic. . [95] "2008 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced" (http:/ / wga. org/ subpage_newsevents. aspx?id=2653#TheWireHBO). WGA. 2007. . Retrieved December 13, 2007. [96] Perry, Byron (December 12, 2007). "WGA announce TV, radio nominees" (http:/ / www. variety. com/ awardcentral_article/ VR1117977607. html#TheWireHBO). Variety. . Retrieved December 13, 2007. [97] "Episode guide - episode 38 boys of summer" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode01. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [98] "Episode guide - episode 39 Soft Eyes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode02. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved August 9, 2006. [99] "Episode guide - episode 40 Home Rooms" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode40. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved September 25, 2006. [100] "Episode guide - episode 41 Refugees" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode04. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved October 3, 2006. [101] "Episode guide - episode 42 Alliances" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode05. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved October 9, 2006. [102] "Episode guide - episode 43 Margin of Error" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode06. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved October 9, 2006. [103] "Episode guide - episode 44 Unto Others" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode07. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved November 1, 2006. [104] "Episode guide - episode 45 Corner Boys" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode08. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved November 9, 2006. [105] "Episode guide - episode 46 Know Your Place" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode46. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved November 15, 2006. [106] "Episode guide - episode 47 Misgivings" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode47. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved March 29, 2007. [107] "Episode guide - episode 48 A New Day" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode48. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved March 29, 2007. [108] "Episode guide - episode 49 That's Got His Own" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode49. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved March 30, 2007. [109] "The Wire episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved October 17, 2007.

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External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) List of The Wire episodes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/episodes) at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire season 4 episodes (http://www.tv.com/the-wire/show/8800/episode.html?season=4) at TV.com

Season 5

77

Season 5
The Wire season 5
DVD cover
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 10 Broadcast Original channel Original run HBO January 6, 2008 March9,2008 Home video release DVD release Region 1 August 12, 2008

The fifth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it contained 10 episodes. The series continued to examine the Baltimore police department, the Stanfield organization and city hall while introducing a fictionalized version of the Baltimore Sun newsroom.

Production
HBO announced on September 12, 2006 that it commissioned a fifth and final season consisting of 13 episodes,[1][2] which was later reduced to ten.[3] On April 30, 2007, production for Season 5 officially began. Filming wrapped early in the morning of September 1, 2007 and the first episode aired on January 6, 2008.[4]

Themes
In an interview with Slate on December 1, 2006, David Simon said that Season 5 would be about the media and media consumption.[2] A major focus would be journalism, which would be dramatized through a newspaper modeled after The Baltimore Sun. The theme, according to Simon, would deal with "what stories get told and what don't and why it is that things stay the same."[2] Issues such as the quest for profit, the decrease in the number of reporters, and the end of aspiration for news quality would all be addressed, alongside the theme of homelessness. In the same interview, Simon indicated that no other theme seemed substantial enough to warrant a sixth season, except possibly the large influx of Latinos into Baltimore. He noted, however, that since no writer on the show spoke Spanish or had any intimate knowledge of the city's Latino population, the field work would be too cumbersome.[2] At the Night at the Wire event on June 9, 2007, Simon stated that Detective Sydnor is the only character who remains morally clean by the end of the show, but not perfectly since "after all, this is The Wire." He also hinted that Mayor Carcetti might make a run for governor. The series continued the show's examination of the devaluing of human life and institutional dysfunction.[5] The increased scope of the season to include the media allowed this theme to be explored through an examination of "the people who are supposed to be monitoring all this and sounding the alarm the journalists."[5] In particular Simon has spoken about the devaluing of the reporter in terms of downsizing a newspaper staff and the management expecting to do "more with less" when he asserts that in reality, you can only do "less with less."[5] The series realism has been reported as being maintained particularly through the accurate dialogue and use of contemporary slang.[5] Series creator David Simon further expanded on the thematic content of season five in an

Season 5 interview with Fancast/Inside TV.[6] Critic David Zurawik saw the unifying theme of the season as "public and private lies," particularly those perpetuated by the media and told by Jimmy McNulty in protest against cutbacks in the police department.[7] TV Guide writer Matt Roush also saw the central theme as lies and characterised it as "deeply and darkly ironic."[8]

78

Promotion
A preview for Season 5 of The Wire aired on HBO on October 28, 2007 and was later made available on YouTube.[9] HBO sent critics the first seven episodes on DVD in December 2007.[7][10][11] HBO's On Demand and multiplatform marketing division approached creator David Simon about producing exclusive on demand content and three short prequel clips were produced that take place prior to the linear storyline of the show.[12][13] The clips were made available via Amazon.com from December 5 and through HBO's on demand service from December 15.[12][13] The first video takes place in 1962 and focuses on the school days of drug kingpin Proposition Joe; the second is set in 1985 and focuses on Omar Little making an early robbery; the third video is set in 2000 and shows the first meeting of Jimmy McNulty (played by Dominic West) and Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce).[14] The clips aired after Season 5 episodes as they premiered starting January 6, 2008.[15]

Locations
At that Night at the Wire event, fans were allowed to tour the Baltimore Sun newsroom constructed for the show. The real newspaper allowed the show to use their name but stipulated that no current employees could appear in the series.[5] The newsroom was an entirely built set constructed at the show's out-of-town soundstage.[5] The actual Washington Post newsroom was also featured, as one reporter visits for an interview.[16] The Wire is the first production to be allowed to film at the location; even the film All the President's Men about the paper's role in breaking the Watergate scandal had to build a set to represent the paper.[16]

Cast
It was rumored in August 2007 that Homicide: Life on the Street stars Richard Belzer[17] and Clark Johnson[18] would guest star in the fifth season. Johnson was later confirmed as joining the starring cast to play Gus Haynes,[19] "a city editor who tries to hold the line against dwindling coverage, buyouts, and pseudo-news."[5] The New Yorker described an early scene from the season where Haynes rants about a reporter inserting a charred doll into scenes of fires to eke more sympathy from his readers.[5] Johnson also directed the final episode of the show.[4] In the episode "Took," Belzer made a cameo appearance as John Munch, the police detective he has portrayed since 1993 on Homicide (19931999) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999present). The majority of the starring cast from the fourth season returned. On the police front, Dominic West returned as Jimmy McNulty[19] with a larger storyline than the fourth season;[20] John Doman as Deputy Commissioner William Rawls;[19][21] Seth Gilliam as Western district Sergeant Ellis Carver;[19][21] Corey Parker Robinson as Major Case Unit detective Leander Sydnor;[19][21] Deirdre Lovejoy as prosecutor Rhonda Pearlman;[19][21] Clarke Peters as veteran Detective Lester Freamon;[19][21] Wendell Pierce as veteran homicide Detective Bunk Moreland;[19][21] Lance Reddick as Colonel Cedric Daniels;[19][21] and Sonja Sohn as Detective Kima Greggs.[19][21] In the political storyline, Aidan Gillen returned as ambitious Mayor Tommy Carcetti;[19][21] as well as Reg E. Cathey as political aide Norman Wilson[19][21]; and Domenick Lombardozzi as troubled defense investigator Thomas "Herc" Hauk.[19] In the street, Jamie Hector returned as West-side drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield[19][21]. Also returning for the street storyline were Andre Royo as heroin addict Bubbles;[19][21] and Michael K. Williams as underworld legend Omar Little.[19][21]

Season 5 Former recurring characters who joined the main cast were Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee,[19] Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow,[19] Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems,[19] Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as corrupt State Senator Clay Davis,[19] Michael Kostroff as defense attorney Maurice Levy, and Neal Huff Mayoral chief of staff Michael Steintorf.[19][20] In addition to Johnson, joining the main cast in the journalism story line were Thomas McCarthy as morally challenged reporter[4] Scott Templeton[19] and Michelle Paress as reporter Alma Gutierrez.[19] Season 4 main cast members Frankie Faison, Jim True-Frost, Robert Wisdom, and Chad L. Coleman, who played Ervin Burrell, Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski, Howard "Bunny" Colvin and Dennis "Cutty" Wise, respectively, had recurring but not starring roles in the season. Other returning guest stars included Steve Earle as drug counsellor Walon;[19] Anwan Glover as Slim Charles;[19] Robert F. Chew as drug kingpin Proposition Joe;[21] Method Man as drug lieutenant Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff;[19] Felicia Pearson as the eponymous criminal enforcer Felicia "Snoop" Pearson;[19] Chris Ashworth as former enforcer for the Greeks Sergei "Serge" Malatov; Wood Harris as fallen kingpin Avon Barksdale; Marlyne Afflack as city council president Nerese Campbell;[19][21]; and Amy Ryan as McNulty's domestic partner Beadie Russell.[19] The return of guest stars from past seasons was described in reviews as a reward to loyal viewers.[8] New recurring guest stars included David Costabile, Sam Freed, Bruce Kirkpatrick, Todd Scofield, Kara Quick, and Donald Neal.[21] Continuing the show's trend of using non-professional actors and real-life Baltimore figures[7], several ex-Baltimore Sun reporters appeared in recurring roles.[5] Rebecca Corbett, who was Simon's former editor at the Baltimore Sun and now works at the New York Times, had a recurring role.[5] Writer and former political reporter William F. Zorzi gained further screen time after his season 1 cameo.[5] Steve Luxenberg, the editor responsible for hiring Simon at The Sun, also had a role.[5] Simon's wife Laura Lippman also appeared[5] as a reporter in an early scene alongside Michael Olesker, another former Sun reporter.[7] Baltimore attorney Billy Murphy appeared as a lawyer for corrupt Senator Clay Davis, and former senator and current radio host Larry Young conducted a fictional interview with the character.[7] Former police commissioner Ed Norris returned in his recurring role as a homicide detective with the same name.[7]

79

Crew
Creator David Simon continued to act as the show's executive producer and show runner.[5][21] Nina Kostroff Noble once again served as the show's other executive producer.[21] Joe Chappelle reprised his co-executive producer role and continued to direct episodes.[21] Ed Burns once again served as a writer and joined Chappelle as a co-executive producer.[22] Karen L. Thorson returned as a producer.[21] George Pelecanos produced the sixth episode of the series only - his first production work since the third season.[19][22][23] Political journalist William F. Zorzi continued to write for the show and guide the political storylines.[5] Acclaimed crime fiction novelist Pelecanos returned as a writer and contributed his seventh episode to the series.[5] Pelecanos's fellow crime novellists Richard Price and Dennis Lehane also returned as writers. Chris Collins returned as a staff writer[5] and contributed his first script.[22] David Mills contributed an episode, completing the writing team.[19] New star Clark Johnson also helmed the final episode after previously directing the pilot. Other returning directors for the fifth season included Ernest Dickerson, Anthony Hemingway, Agnieszka Holland, Dan Attias, and Seith Mann. Series star Dominic West made his directorial debut. Husband and wife directing team Scott and Joy Kecken were also first time directors on the fifth season.[19]

Season 5

80

Reception
The fifth season received universal acclaim from critics, scoring 89 out of 100 based on 24 reviews on Metacritic.[24] In reviewing the first seven episodes of the fifth season David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said that while "there is greatness in the seven episodes," the major newspaper storyline "contain[s] nothing that matches the emotional power and sociological insight of the show at its best."[25] Matt Roush of TV Guide favourably reviewed the series calling it "brilliantly bleak" and a "landmark series."[8] Brian Lowry of Variety characterised the series' look at the media as the most realistic portrayal of a newsroom in film and television history.[26]

Episodes
"Series #" refers to the episode's number in the overall series, whereas "Season #" refers to the episode's number in this particular season. All episodes except "30" were made available by HBO six days earlier than their broadcast date, via On Demand.[14][15]
Series # 51 Season # 1 Title Story by Teleplay by Directed by Original air date

"More with Less"

David Simon & Ed Burns

David Simon

Joe Chappelle

January 6, 2008

"The bigger the lie, the more they believe." - Bunk The Stanfield Organization continues to operate despite a year of surveillance by the Major Crimes Unit. Education budget deficits and ambitions to become Governor leave Mayor Carcetti forced to make funding cuts. His broken promises to the police department destroy morale and cause the closure of the Major Crimes Unit. Detective Jimmy McNulty is sent back to homicide and returns to his old habits of drinking and infidelity. Similar cutbacks in the Baltimore Sun newsroom make it increasingly difficult for city desk editor Gus Haynes to do his job but he is still able to break a major story linking city council president Nerese Campbell and drug dealer Fat-Face Rick. Bubbles is recovering from his heroin addiction but is struggling to come to terms with his role in Sherrod's death. Michael Lee continues to work as a Stanfield enforcer and provides a home for [27] his younger brother and friend Duquan "Dukie" Weems. 52 2 "Unconfirmed Reports" David Simon & William F. Zorzi William F. Zorzi Ernest Dickerson January 13, 2008

"This ain't Aruba, bitch." - Bunk Reporter Scott Templeton submits an unverifiable story about a boy attending the opening day of the Baltimore Orioles baseball season. Haynes is dubious but is forced to run the story by his senior editors. The withdrawal of the police investigation emboldens Marlo Stanfield and he orders several murders and tries to contact international drug trafficking organization "The Greeks". Detective Lester Freamon continues to observe Stanfield even though he has been assigned to the Clay Davis corruption case. Bubbles takes a job at a soup kitchen. McNulty becomes increasingly frustrated in the underfunded homicide unit and takes the drastic step of faking a homicide with the intention of drawing funds to the department by [28] creating the illusion of a serial killer. 53 3 "Not for Attribution" David Simon & Chris Collins Chris Collins Scott Kecken & Joy Kecken January 20, 2008

"They're dead where it doesn't count." - Fletcher Stanfield turns to "Proposition Joe" Stewart for help cleaning and laundering money while Stewart remains unaware that Stanfield is trying to usurp his connection to The Greeks. Stanfield also places a bounty on information leading him to Omar Little. Cheese gives Stanfield the whereabout's of Omar's advisor Butchie. Chris Partlow and Snoop torture and kill Butchie to lure Omar from retirement. Stanislaus Valchek leaks unmodified statistics from the police department to Carcetti and tells him that commissioner Ervin Burrell is falsifying the numbers giving Carcetti the political ammunition he needs to fire Burrell. Carcetti leaks a story heralding Cedric Daniels as a potential replacement. Daniels is worried that Burrell will reveal his shady past after Templeton invents a quote implicating Daniels in Burrell's departure. McNulty continues to work on his serial killer plan despite warnings from his partner Bunk Moreland. Bunk enlists Freamon to talk to McNulty but is dumbfounded when Freamon offers to help with [29] the plan. 54 4 "Transitions" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Dan Attias January 27, 2008

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81

"Buyer's market out there." - Templeton Freamon and McNulty draw more attention to their fake serial killer by sensationalizing the murders. McNulty's compulsive behavior jeopardizes his relationship with Beadie Russell. Campbell learns of Daniels' history but convinces Burrell to leave quietly with the promise of a comfortable replacement position. Sergeant Ellis Carver puts his principles first in the Western District and his former partner Herc is shamed by his integrity. Stanfield convinces The Greeks to consider him an insurance policy and continues to assimilate Stewart's contacts including Maurice Levy. Omar returns to Baltimore and quickly learns that Stanfield was responsible for Butchie's death. Stewart prepares to leave town fearing reprisal from [30] Omar but is once again betrayed by Cheese and murdered by Partlow as Stanfield watches. 55 5 "React Quotes" David Simon & David Mills David Mills Agnieszka Holland February 3, 2008

"Just 'cause they're in the street doesn't mean that they lack opinions." - Haynes Stanfield takes over as The Greeks' Baltimore distributor and is given a phone and a code to use to contact them. Stanfield gives the number to Levy and Herc steals it and passes it on to the police department. Freamon appeals to Daniels for a wiretap but is unsuccessful. McNulty leaks further details of his invented serial killer to the press and the story gains momentum. When Templeton stages a phone call from the serial killer McNulty uses it as probable cause for a wiretap. Freamon sets up on Stanfield's phone while the homicide unit believe they are manning another, disconnected, wiretap of the killer's phone. Dukie struggles with bullying and searches for a new path. Bubbles learns that he is HIV negative. State's Attorney Bond announces the Davis corruption case. Campbell convinces Davis to protect his fellow politicians and he embarks on a publicity campaign suggesting that his race has motivated the charges. Partlow sets up an ambush for Omar which he narrowly escapes by jumping [31] from a balcony. 56 6 "The Dickensian Aspect" David Simon & Ed Burns Ed Burns Seith Mann February 10, 2008

"If you have a problem with this, I understand completely." - Freamon Omar hides and tends to his injured leg overnight and then resumes robbing the Stanfield organization. Stanfield assumes control of the New Day Co-Op, telling the members that Omar was responsible for Stewart's death. Stanfield promotes Cheese, raises the price of narcotics, and suspends further meetings. The police find sealed courthouse documents in Stewart's house and realize there is a leak somewhere. Freamon enlists Leander Sydnor to man the wiretap and realizes that Stanfield is communicating with picture messages and McNulty abducts and photographs a homeless man in order to provide probable cause for picture intercepts. Templeton writes a follow-up story about a homeless Iraq veteran and draws the praise of his superiors, for once including Haynes. Bunk remains frustrated with McNulty's scheme and begins to make progress working his old [32] cases the traditional way. Carcetti delivers a rousing speech about the serial killer and decides to spin homelessness into a core campaign issue. 57 7 "Took" David Simon & Richard Price Richard Price Dominic West February 17, 2008

"They don't teach it in law school." - Pearlman Freamon and McNulty stage a call from the killer to Templeton and send him the photographs to get the picture intercept equipment they need. Carcetti authorizes resources for the investigation and McNulty finally has the funds he hoped for. Bunk interviews Michael about the vacant murders but learns nothing. Omar attacks more of Stanfield's people and damages his reputation on the street at every opportunity. After a spectacular courtroom performance Davis is acquitted of the corruption charges. Kima Greggs reconnects with her ex-girlfriend's son. Haynes [33] investigates his suspicions about Templeton and learns that Templeton has lied about his reporting. Former Baltimore police detective John [34] Munch (of Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) briefly visits Kavanaugh's Bar. 58 8 "Clarifications" David Simon & Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane Anthony Hemingway February 24, 2008

"A lie ain't a side of a story. It's just a lie." - Terry Hanning Partlow keeps word of Omar attacking Stanfield's name from Stanfield. Omar's mission is ended when he is surprised and killed by a young drug dealer named Kenard. The Iraq veteran comes forward to complain that Templeton fabricated details of their discussion and Haynes is shocked that Templeton's misconduct involves even this story; Haynes misses the story of Omar's death. Bunk finally gets a murder warrant on Partlow with a little assistance from McNulty. McNulty asks Carver to provide a surveillance team for Freamon using the serial killer funding and with the extra manpower Sydnor breaks the communications code. McNulty cannot stand to see Greggs spending time on the serial killer case and he admits inventing the killer. Russell warns McNulty that she will leave him if his behaviour continues and McNulty comes clean to her too. Dukie finds work with street vendors who collect and sell scrap metal. Carcetti fends off a challenge for the democratic nomination from Prince George's county [35] and is forced to make promises to Davis, Campbell, and a congressman from the county. 59 9 "Late Editions" David Simon & George Pelecanos George Pelecanos Joe Chappelle March 2, 2008

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82

"Deserve got nuthin' to do with it." - Snoop Freamon tracks Partlow to a Stanfield resupply and makes multiple arrests including Partlow, Stanfield, and Cheese. Carcetti holds a press conference to celebrate the arrests. Stanfield is suspicious of an informant and orders Snoop to kill Michael. Michael realizes the danger, murders Snoop, and goes into hiding. Suddenly homeless, Dukie moves in with the street vendors. Stanfield learns that Omar used his name on the street and is enraged. Greggs goes to Daniels about McNulty's actions. Bubbles celebrates a sobriety anniversary and reporter Mike Fletcher writes a profile [36] about him. Haynes launches a more thorough investigation into Templeton's lies. 60 10 "30" David Simon & Ed Burns David Simon Clark Johnson March 9, 2008

"...the life of kings." - H. L. Mencken Daniels tells Carcetti that McNulty fabricated the serial killer. Fearing for his campaign, Carcetti orders a cover-up and Daniels is angry but accepts the orders for the sake of the careers of those peripherally involved. Freamon learns that Levy is involved with leaking courthouse documents to drug dealers and tells Pearlman. McNulty and Freamon decide to retire when Pearlman warns them that they are going to be re-assigned to dead-end units. Levy realizes the Stanfield investigation relied upon an illegal wiretap. As part of the cover-up, Pearlman negotiates a deal with Levy; Levy will escape charges for the leak, Stanfield's charges will be suspended and he will go free but be forced to leave the drug game, while the others in custody will plead guilty to the charges. Stanfield sells the connection to The Greeks back to the Co-Op and plans to become a business man. Daniels refuses to falsify statistics to help Carcetti's election campaign. Campbell brings up his past to blackmail him into compliance but Daniels instead elects to stand down and begins a new career as a defense attorney. For their part in the cover-up Pearlman and Rawls are rewarded with promotions; Pearlman becomes a judge and Rawls is made State Police Superintendent. Michael becomes a stick-up artist. Dukie begins using heroin. Carcetti goes on to become Governor, Campbell replaces him as Mayor and promotes Valchek to commissioner. Kenard is seen getting [37] arrested.

References
[1] John M. Higgins (September 12, 2006). "HBO Renews The Wire" (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/ 98651-HBO_Renews_The_Wire. php). Broadcasting & Cable. . Retrieved January 25, 2012. [2] Meghan O'Rourke (2006). "Behind The Wire" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2154694/ ). Slate.com. . [3] David Mills. "Just to tease you fans of The Wire" (http:/ / undercoverblackman. blogspot. com/ 2007/ 02/ just-to-tease-you-fans-of-wire. html). . Retrieved March 14, 2007. [4] Wiltz, Teresa (September 3, 2007). "Down to "The Wire": It's a Wrap for Gritty TV Series" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 09/ 02/ AR2007090201454. html). Washington Post. . Retrieved September 3, 2007. [5] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [6] "One on One with David Simon" (http:/ / thebiz. fancast. com/ 2007/ 11/ exclusive_interview_with_the_w. html). . Retrieved November 2, 2007. [7] David Zurawik (2007). "Fact and fiction, down to The Wire" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 2007-12-06/ features/ 0712060114_1_sun-david-simon-hbo). The Baltimore Sun. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [8] "Urban Renewal for L&O and The Wire" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080508013933/ http:/ / www. tvguide. com/ Roush-Review). TV Guide. 2007. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. tvguide. com/ Roush-Review) on May 8, 2008. . Retrieved December 19, 2007. [9] "Preview of The Wire Season 5" (http:/ / thebiz. fancast. com/ 2007/ 11/ preview_of_the_wire_season_5. html). . Retrieved November 2, 2007. [10] Charlie McCollom (2007). ""The Wire" returns" (http:/ / blogs. mercurynews. com/ aei/ 2007/ 12/ the_wire_returns. html#TheWireHBO). San Jose Mercury News. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [11] Kevin Thompson (2007). "Merry Christmas to me! "The Wire" comes early!" (http:/ / www. palmbeachpost. com/ blogs/ content/ shared-blogs/ palmbeach/ thompson/ entries/ 2007/ 12/ merry_christmas. html#TheWireHBO). Palm Beach Post. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [12] Andrew Wallenstein (2007). "HBO's "Wire" plugs in VOD vignettes" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080527191934/ http:/ / www. hollywoodreporter. com/ hr/ content_display/ news/ e3i35ab2fc2fb51e6e2eff4f5d6d94e9bb1#TheWireHBO). The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. hollywoodreporter. com/ hr/ content_display/ news/ e3i35ab2fc2fb51e6e2eff4f5d6d94e9bb1#TheWireHBO) on May 27, 2008. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [13] Sean O'Neal (2007). "HBO offers free "Wire" prequels" (http:/ / www. avclub. com/ articles/ hbo-offers-free-wire-prequels,10198/ #TheWireHBO). A.V. Club. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [14] Oscar Dahl (2007). "HBO releases three prequel videos for "The Wire"" (http:/ / www. buddytv. com/ articles/ the-wire/ hbo-releases-three-prequel-vid-14452. aspx#TheWireHBO). Buddy TV. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [15] "HBO'S 'The Wire' Preps Back Stories: Three short films will precede launch of fifth season in January." (http:/ / www. buddytv. com/ articles/ the-wire/ hbo-releases-three-prequel-vid-14452. aspx#TheWireHBO). EUR Web. 2007. . Retrieved December 7, 2007.

Season 5
[16] Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts (June 5, 2007). "The CIA Has A New Man On a Special Mission -- to Hollywood" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 06/ 04/ AR2007060402111. html). The Washington Post. . Retrieved October 20, 2007. [17] Oldenburg, Ann (August 5, 2007). "Belzer character Munches more scenery" (http:/ / content. usatoday. com/ communities/ entertainment/ post/ 2007/ 08/ 37342004/ 1). USA Today. . Retrieved August 8, 2007. [18] "Just to tease you fans of "The Wire"..." (http:/ / undercoverblackman. blogspot. com/ 2007/ 02/ just-to-tease-you-fans-of-wire. html). Undercover Black Man. February 28, 2007. . Retrieved February 28, 2007. [19] "About the Show" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ about/ ). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved December 12, 2007. [20] "HBO Re-Hangs 'Wire' in January" (http:/ / www. zap2it. com/ tv/ news/ zap-thewirepremieredate,0,7068981. story#TheWireHBO). Zap 2 It. 2007. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [21] "HBO's Award-Winning Drama The Wire Returns to Movie Central and The Movie Network For a Fifth and Final Season" (http:/ / www. newswire. ca/ en/ releases/ archive/ December2007/ 04/ c7391. html#TheWireHBO). Movie Central. 2007. . Retrieved December 7, 2007. [22] "Season 5 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_5. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved December 12, 2007. [23] "The Wire season 3 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_3. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved October 14, 2007. [24] "The Wire: Season 5" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ tv/ the-wire/ season-5). Metacritic. . Retrieved February 23, 2011. [25] "'The Wire' loses spark in newsroom storyline" (http:/ / www. baltimoresun. com/ entertainment/ bal-al. wire30dec30,0,266826. story). Baltimore Sun. 2007. . Retrieved December 30, 2007. [26] Brian Lowry (December 21, 2007). "'The Wire' gets the newsroom right" (http:/ / www. variety. com/ article/ VR1117978111). Variety. . Retrieved December 22, 2007. [27] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 22, 2008. [28] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Unconfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 22, 2008. [29] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved January 22, 2008. [30] "The Wire episode guide - episode 54 Transitions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode54. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 5, 2008. [31] "The Wire episode guide - episode 55 React Quotes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode55. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 5, 2008. [32] "The Wire episode guide - episode 56 The Dickensian Aspect" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode56. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 29, 2008. [33] "The Wire episode guide - episode 57 Took" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode57. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 29, 2008. [34] Full cast and crew for The Wire: Took (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0977184/ fullcredits#cast), IMDB.com. [35] "The Wire episode guide - episode 58 Clarifications" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode58. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved February 29, 2008. [36] "The Wire episode guide - episode 59 Late Editions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode59. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved March 10, 2008. [37] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 30" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved March 10, 2008.

83

External links
Official website (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) List of The Wire episodes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/episodes) at the Internet Movie Database List of The Wire season 5 episodes (http://www.tv.com/the-wire/show/8800/episode.html?season=5) at TV.com

84

Characters
List of The Wire characters
The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Wire. Note that some characters' allegiances or positions may have changed over time; and, although the series has ended, the placement below is generally meant to reflect their most recent situation. Also, some specific plot lines may be revealed in a character's description.

The Law
Law enforcement is an integral part of The Wire, and characters in this field range from those enforcing the law at street level up to those setting laws city wide.

The Politics
Characters in this section include the state and city officials, both honest and corrupt, depicted in the series.

The Street
Characters in this section range from homeless drug addicts up to drug king-pins in charge of entire criminal empires.

The Schools
This section includes the pupils, staff and Education Board employees from the school system depicted on the show.

The Docks
This section includes the Stevedores and their families as well as the criminal organization that controls smuggling through the Baltimore docks.

The Paper
The fifth season features an examination of a fictionalized version of The Baltimore Sun and introduced several journalist characters.

Starring cast

List of The Wire characters

85

Actor/Actress

Character

Starring seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Guest seasons N/A

Episode count 56

Position

Dominic West

Jimmy McNulty

Homicide Detective (formerly Major Case Unit Detective and Patrol Officer) Deputy Commissioner for Operations (formerly Lieutenant/Major/Colonel/CID Commander) Homicide Detective (formerly Narcotics and Major Case Unit Detective) Homicide Detective Major Case Unit Detective (formerly Homicide and Pawn Shop Unit Detective) Police Commissioner (formerly Major/Colonel/Deputy Commissioner for Operations) Western District Sergeant in Charge (formerly Narcotics and Major Case Unit Detective) Defense investigator (formerly Narcotics Detective and Major Case Unit Sergeant) Drug Kingpin

Lance Reddick

Cedric Daniels

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

N/A

58

Sonja Sohn

Kima Greggs

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

N/A N/A 1

56

Wendell Pierce Clarke Peters

Bunk Moreland Lester Freamon

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 2, 3, 4, 5

54 54

John Doman

William Rawls

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

N/A 1, 2

46

Seth Gilliam

Ellis Carver

3, 4, 5

50

Domenick Lombardozzi Idris Elba

Thomas "Herc" Hauk 3, 4, 5

1, 2

54

Russell "Stringer" Bell Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski Omar Little

1, 2, 3

N/A 1, 2, 5

36

Jim True-Frost

3, 4

45

Teacher (formerly Major Case Unit Detective)

Michael K. Williams Frankie Faison

3, 4, 5

1, 2

42

Stick-up man

Ervin Burrell

1, 2, 3, 4

40

Police Commissioner (formerly Deputy Commissioner for Operations) Drug Kingpin Assistant State's Attorney in charge of Violent Crimes Soup kitchen volunteer and newspaper vendor (formerly drug addict and police informant) Mayor of Baltimore (formerly City Councilman) Drug organization crew chief (formerly drug dealer)

Wood Harris Deirdre Lovejoy Andre Royo

Avon Barksdale Rhonda Pearlman Bubbles

1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

5 N/A N/A N/A 1, 2

32 44 40

Aidan Gillen J. D. Williams

Tommy Carcetti Preston "Bodie" Broadus Marlo Stanfield Leander Sydnor

3, 4, 5 3, 4

35 37

Jamie Hector Corey Parker Robinson Robert Wisdom

4, 5 3, 4, 5

3 1

31 37

Drug Kingpin Major Case Unit Detective

Howard "Bunny" Colvin Beatrice "Beadie" Russell D'Angelo Barksdale

3, 4

2, 5

24

Retired (Former Major with Police Department, and former teacher of sorts) Port Police Officer

Amy Ryan

3, 4, 5

20

Larry Gilliard, Jr.

1, 2 4, 5 4, 5 5 3 3 4

N/A

18 26 25 22

Drug organization crew chief Drug organization chief enforcer Drug organization enforcer Drug organization enforcer and crew chief (formerly middle school student)

Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow Felicia Pearson Tristan Wilds Snoop Pearson Michael Lee

List of The Wire characters

86
5 4 20 Corner boy (formerly middle school student)

Jermaine Crawford Duquan "Dukie" Weems Chad Coleman Reg E. Cathey Dennis "Cutty" Wise Norman Wilson

4 4, 5

3, 5 N/A 5

20 23

Youth boxing instructor (former gang enforcer) Mayoral Deputy Chief of Staff (formerly Campaign Manager) Organized Crime Underboss

Paul Ben-Victor

Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos Frank Sobotka Augustus Haynes Scott Templeton

15

Chris Bauer Clark Johnson Tom McCarthy

2 5 5

N/A N/A N/A 1, 2, 3, 4 3, 5 1, 2, 3, 4 N/A 4

12 10 10

Union secretary-treasurer City Desk Editor of The Baltimore Sun General Assignments Reporter atThe Baltimore Sun Metro Desk Maryland State Senator Former Mayor of Baltimore Defense attorney Police beat reporter for The Baltimore Sun City Desk Mayoral Chief of Staff

Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Glynn Turman Michael Kostroff Michelle Paress Neal Huff

Clay Davis Clarence Royce Maurice Levy Alma Gutierrez Michael Steintorf

5 4 5 5 5

17 16 21 10 11

A to Z
A
Aimee Artis, Anton "Stinkum" Asher, Jimmy

B
Bailey, John Baker, Brian Barksdale, Avon Barksdale, Brianna Barksdale, D'Angelo Barlow, Frank Ben-Eleazer, Eton Bernard Bell, Russell "Stringer" "Big Guy" "Big Roy" Blocker, Wendell "Orlando" Bond, Rupert Bratton, Savino Brice, De'Londa Brice, Namond Brice, Roland "Wee-Bey" Broadus, Preston "Bodie" Brown, Bobby Brother Mouzone

List of The Wire characters "Bubbles" Burrell, Ervin Butchie

87

C
Campbell, Nerese Cantrell, Walter Carcetti, Jen Carcetti, Thomas "Tommy" Carr, Malik "Poot" Carver, Ellis Castor, Aaron Cheryl "Chess" Christeson Cole, Ray Colicchio, Anthony Colvin, Howard "Bunny" Country Cousins, Reginald "Bubbles" Coxson, Nat Crutchfield, Michael

D
D'Agostino, Theresa Daniels, Cedric Daniels, Marla Dante Davis, R. Clayton "Clay" Dawson, Zenobia The Deacon "Dee-Dee" Delores Demper, Steven DiBiago, Bruce DiPasquale, Gary Diggins, Claude Donette Donnie "Donut" Donnelly, Marcia Dozerman, Kenneth

List of The Wire characters

88

F
Fitzhugh, Terrance "Fitz" Fletcher, Mike Foerster, Raymond Frazier, Warren Frazier, Randall Freamon, Lester "Frog" "Fruit"

G
Garrick, Lloyd "Truck" Gerard Gerry "Ghost" Glekas, George AKA "Double G" Gray, Anthony

"The Greek" Greggs, Shakima "Kima" Gutierrez, Alma

H
Hauk, Thomas "Herc" Haynes, Augustus "Gus" Hendrix, Ricardo AKA "Fat-Face Rick" Hilton, Marquis "Bird" Holley, Vernon "Hucklebuck" "Hungry Man"

I
Innes, Shardene

J
Jamal Judkins, Crystal Justin Johnson, Herbert De'Rodd AKA "Puddin"

List of The Wire characters

89

K
Kenard Kimmy Klebanow, Thomas Koutris, Kristos Krawczyk, Andy

L
"La La" Lamar Lambert Landsman, Jay Lee, Michael Lee, Raylene Levy, Maurice "Little Big Roy" "Little Kevin"

"Little Man" Little, Omar Luxenberg, Steven

M
Mahon, Patrick Malatov, Sergei "Serge" Manigault, Aaron "Bug" Manigault, Devar Marimow, Charles Massey, Caroline "Maui" McArdle, "White" Mike McGinty, Shaun "Shamrock" McNulty, Elena McNulty, Jimmy McNulty, Michael McNulty, Sean Mello, Dennis Metcalf,"Monk" Mitchell, Tosha Moreland, Bunk Motley, Vernon "Ott"

List of The Wire characters

90

N
Nathan, Ilene Norris, Ed

O
"O-Dog" Old Face Andre

P
Pakusa, Thomas "Horseface" Parenti, David Parker, Coleman Partlow, Chris Pearlman, Rhonda Pearson, Felicia "Snoop" Perkins, Eunetta Perry Phelan, Daniel Phelps, Tim "Phil-Boy" Polk, Augustus Price, Damien Lavelle AKA "Day Day" Price, Jeff Pryzbylewski, Roland "Prez"

R
Rawls, William Reed, Bobby Renaldo Reese, Amanda Rico "Ronnie Mo" Royce, Clarence Russell, Beatrice "Beadie"

S
Sampson, Grace Santangelo, Michael Sapper Sherrod "Slim Charles" Sobotka, Frank Sobotka, Joan

Sobotka, Louis Sobotka, Nick Sobotka, Ziggy

List of The Wire characters Spamanto, Johnny "Fifty" Spry, Jay "Squeak" Stanfield, Marlo Sterling Stewart, "Proposition" Joe Stokes, Albert Sydnor, Leander

91

T
Tank Taylor, Marvin Templeton, Scott Tilghman, Dwight Torret Twigg, Roger Tyson, Darnell

V
Valchek, Stanislaus Vinson Vondopoulos, Spiros "Vondas"

W
Wagstaff, Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff, Randy Wallace Walker, Eddie Walon Watkins, Odell Weeks, Johnny Weems, Duquan "Dukie" Whiting, James Williams, Karim Williamson, Kintel Wilson, Norman Wise, Dennis "Cutty" Withers, Claudell Wright, Brandon

List of The Wire characters

92

Z
Zorzi, Bill

References

93

Police
Police of The Wire
The Police Of The Wire includes many starring characters who play a major role in the fictional HBO drama series The Wire. This fictionalized version of the Baltimore Police Department has been examined in great detail across several departments and there are also many supporting characters in the Department.

Command
The department is led by a Police Commissioner assisted by Deputy Commissioners of Operations (often shortened to Deputy Ops) and Administration. The Police Commissioner answers directly to the city mayor and outlines the departmental goals enforced by the Deputy Commissioners. The Deputy Ops wields a great deal of power and is responsible for the day to day activity of the department's district and investigative unit commanders. The Admin Deputy oversees the Internal Investigations Division (IID) and other units. The real life chain of command from the Commissioner downwards is Deputy Commissioner, Chief, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Detective, and Officer. However, in the series, any mention of the ranks of Chief and Lieutenant Colonel is omitted. Presumably this is to avoid confusion and make the relationships between different members of the hierarchy clearer to the viewer. Detectives fall into a rank that coincides with their administrative position. The Criminal Investigations Division, commanded usually by a Colonel, is the division responsible for the Homicide unit, Narcotics unit, and Major Crimes Unit (MCU) amongst others. The IID, homicide unit, and narcotics unit are each led by a Major while MCU is commanded by a lieutenant. A Major commands each of the nine patrol districts the Central, Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern, Western and Northwestern districts.

Current department commanders

William Rawls Rawls is Acting Commissioner on a temporary basis. Rawls is caucasian, and Mayor Tommy Carcetti is unwilling to attempt a permanent promotion fearing that it would not be acceptable to the politically influential and largely African American ministers. Rawls is a careerist and is feared by many of his subordinates. He has been known to punish anyone who crosses him with transfers to undesirable posts. It is hinted at through out the series that Rawls is a homosexual. This is most clearly evident in Season Three when he is seen in a gay bar. Also in season four graffiti is seen on a wall in the bathroom at the police station stating that "Rawls Sucks Cock." Rawls is played by John Doman. Cedric Daniels Daniels is the Deputy Commissioner of Operations. He is a direct commanding officer of many of the show's characters in earlier seasons. Daniels previously worked as a lieutenant in the Eastern District Drug Enforcement Unit, CID Narcotics Unit, and was the first commander of the MCU. Daniels is promoted to Major and Western District Commander after his successful case work in the MCU. He draws Carcetti's attention as a young and capable African American commander and is quickly promoted to CID Colonel. He is eventually promoted to Police Commissioner, but resigns to practice law. Daniels is played by Lance Reddick

Police of The Wire Stanislaus Valchek Valchek is the Deputy Commissioner of Administration. Valchek was previously the Southeastern District commander and his grudge against Frank Sobotka led to the formation of a specialised detail which became the Major Crimes Unit. Valchek is well connected with the city's politicians, and was promoted because of his political association with Mayor Carcetti. Valchek is played by Al Brown. Bobby Reed Played by: Tony D. Head Appears in: Season one: "The Buys"; "Lessons" (uncredited); "The Hunt" and "Cleaning Up". Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Misgivings" (uncredited) Reed is a Major in the Baltimore Police Department and commands the Internal Investigations Division. He is very loyal to Ervin Burrell's command often more emphasized in protecting Burrell's command status than rigorously investigating individual officers. He often appears with discrediting evidence about officers for Burrell to use as blackmail. In the first season Reed investigates the brutality charges made against Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski for blinding a teenager in one eye. Reed dismisses the witnesses based upon their criminal records but suspends Prez from street duty pending a Grand Jury hearing. Reed then intervenes when the Barksdale detail stop State Senator Davis' driver (who received a bag full of cash from a Barksdale soldier) and again when Daniels tries to withhold the location of a Barksdale stash house to protect his investigation. In the third season, Reed attends the weekly comstat meetings of Ervin Burrell and William Rawls. In the fourth season, Reed briefly appears when Burrell is contemplating the best method to keep his appointed position as commissioner.

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Former members
Ervin Burrell Burrell is a by-the-book careerist officer who reached the level of Commissioner. Initially appointed as an Acting Commissioner, Burrell negotiated for a permanent posting with the Royce administration. When Carcetti replaced Royce he immediately began looking to depose Burrell. He is eventually forced to resign in a scandal over manipulation of crime statistics but receives a highly paid replacement job in order to leave quietly. Burrell is played by Frankie Faison. Warren Frazier Played by: Dick Stilwell Appears in: Season one: "The Hunt". Frazier is the Commissioner in season one. He gives the order for city-wide raids following the shooting of Kima Greggs. As actor Dick Stilwell died in a car accident after the filming of this episode, the character retires and is replaced by Ervin Burrell as commissioner.

Police of The Wire Raymond Foerster Played by: Richard DeAngelis Appears in: Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "The Wire"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing". Season three: "Time After Time "; " All Due Respect "; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Refugees" Raymond Foerster was a Major and unit commander of the Baltimore narcotics division in season one. According to Season 4, he served 39 years on the force suggesting he joined the BPD in 1967. When Judge Phelan questioned Deputy Commissioner Burrell about the Barksdale operation, it was Majors Foerster and Rawls who faced his subsequent wrath and demands for more information. Foerster's response was to ask his shift lieutenant Cedric Daniels for a report and he then assigned Daniels and his team to the Barksdale detail. When Daniels's investigation became drawn out and relied upon wiretaps and surveillance, Foerster took the side of Deputy Commissioner Burrell against Daniels when he tried to explain the necessity of this technique to reach the heads of the organization. Foerster's and Burrell's insistence on using buy busts led to the operation that resulted with the shooting of Detective Greggs. Foerster visited Greggs in the hospital with many other command officers and appeared anxious when trying to find a tape recorder to replay the last transmissions before she was shot. Foerster was promoted to colonel and took over as commander of the criminal investigations division when Rawls was promoted to deputy commissioner of operations. He was replaced as the Narcotics Major by George Smith, an associate of Major Colvin. He attended Rawls' weekly comstat meetings and worked with Sergeant Jay Landsman in running the homicide division. He was put under intense pressure to keep the murder rate down.[1] In season four, Foerster continued to command CID. He was involved with the management of the murder of a state's witness that became a politically important case. Burrell ordered Foerster to replace veteran investigator Ed Norris with Kima Greggs, now a rookie homicide detective. Foerster realizes Burrell hopes to slow the investigation. He assumes Burrell's intent was to prevent the investigation from revealing the victim's witness status as a possible motive for the murder before the upcoming mayoral election. Foerster argues with Burrell and Rawls about the decision and discussed it with Jay Landsman. Foerster suffered from cancer during this time and was often absent from work. Repeated courses of chemotherapy failed to cure the disease. Landsman announced the Colonel's death to the homicide unit stating that he served 39 years in the department without leaving a trace of bitterness or hatred with any officers, a miraculous career by BPD standards. A police wake was held at an Irish bar in his honor. He was replaced as C.I.D. colonel by Cedric Daniels at a promotion ceremony following his death. Actor Richard DeAngelis died of cancer after filming scenes for the fourth season.[2]

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Major Crimes Unit

The Major Crimes Unit was established by Cedric Daniels in season three as part of a prior agreement with Commissioner Ervin Burrell. The unit's main responsibility is to build cases against high profile targets responsible for murder, drug distribution and money laundering in Baltimore. The unit was originally formed by a group of detectives dumped upon Daniels by shift Lieutenants to make a case against Avon Barksdale. It is currently under the command of the Criminal Investigation Division and is run by Lester Freamon even though on paper it is commanded by Lieutenant Asher. In the first season the detail's office is located in the basement of a downtown building where the only redeeming features are working telephones and electricity. In the second season, the detail is moved into an old building located at 1911 South Clinton Street in the southeastern part of town leased by the transit authority courtesy of Major Valchek. The office remains the permanent location of the unit when it is formed in season three.

Police of The Wire

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Current members
Command Jimmy Asher Played by: Gene Terinoni Appears in: Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Home Rooms" and "That's Got His Own". Season five: "More With Less" Asher is a lenient lieutenant who was handpicked to command the Major Crimes Unit by Lester Freamon with the approval of Cedric Daniels. He normally lets the detectives do as they wish while working on his beach house in Delaware. He was briefly reassigned to a telephone unit and replaced by Lieutenant Charles Marimow for purposes of properly "supervising" the Major Crimes Unit under the orders of Deputy Commissioner Rawls. With Daniels' promotion to C.I.D. colonel, Asher is reinstalled as commander of the unit again as Freamon feels he will effectively let the detectives do what they need to make a case without interference from the commissioner's office. Lester Freamon Freamon is a quiet and methodic veteran detective who makes major contributions to the unit's investigations. He is the unit's de facto commander, as he lays out their investigative strategies and specifically chose Lieutenant Asher to be the shift Lieutenant due to his lenient, hands-off attitude. Detectives/Officers Kenneth Dozerman Played by: Rick Otto Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time", "All Due Respect" and "Back Burners". Season four: "Refugees", "Alliances", "Know Your Place", "Misgivings", "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less", "Clarifications", "Late Editions", and "30". Dozerman is a plainclothes officer in the Baltimore police department. In season three he worked narcotics in Sergeant Ellis Carver's drug enforcement unit squad in the Western District. He became friends with Herc and Carver while working in the squad accompanying them in various activities off duty. Dozerman was shot and injured in a buy bust operation gone awry and decommissioned from duty for the rest of the season. His attempted murder was the catalyst for Major Colvin's "Hamsterdam" experiment as Colvin wanted to reduce crime and not see any more of his men get hurt. Dozerman's service weapon was also stolen, prompting Bunk Moreland to have to search for it. When the weapon was found, it was returned to Dozerman at a press conference.[1] In season four, Dozerman transferred to the Major Crimes Unit when his friend Herc transferred in, filling the gap left by Greggs and Freamon leaving. Dozerman took part in Lieutenant Charles Marimow's first series of failed raids as unit commander. Following these raids he helped Herc to set up video surveillance of Marlo Stanfield. Dozerman remained in the unit as an ally to both Herc and Leander Sydnor who mentored Dozerman on his investigative strategies. All three detectives maintained a dislike for Marimow's caustic command style often fearing the repercussions that he had threatened them with. Dozerman remained in the unit following Marimow's departure and Herc's suspension under the new leadership of Lester Freamon. In Season five, Dozerman is still with Major Crimes working with the detail on the row house serial murders. He still meets his old Western district DEU buddies for drinks along with Herc. After Major Crimes is disbanded, Dozerman

Police of The Wire is sent to tactical division by Colonel Daniels. Jimmy McNulty McNulty is a dedicated Baltimore police officer with many personal problems. Leander Sydnor Sydnor is a young, married detective in the Baltimore Major Crimes Unit with a talent for investigative work and the stomach for drawn-out cases. Sydnor has been part of the Major Crimes Unit throughout seasons one, three, and four of the show.

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Former members
Command Cedric Daniels Daniels left the unit when he was promoted to Major, taking the District Commander post in the Western. Charles Marimow Played by: Boris McGiver Appears in season four: "Home Rooms", "Refugees", "Alliances", "Corner Boys", "Misgivings", "That's Got His Own". Marimow is a lieutenant in the Baltimore Police Department. He is installed as the commander of the Major Crimes Unit by William Rawls based on his hostile reputation to properly supervise the unit's detectives and prevent them upsetting politicians after Lester Freamon issued a series of subpoenas on them over suspicion of graft. Marimow renews the unit's focus on more obviously violent drug dealers and closes down their wiretaps on Marlo Stanfield. His caustic command style drives away Lester Freamon and Kima Greggs, the unit's best two detectives, leaving him with only Leander Sydnor and Caroline Massey. His unit's staffing problems are solved when Sergeant Herc Hauk transfers back, bringing Officer Dozerman with him. Marimow and Herc develop an immediate mutual dislike which worsens over their tenure. Marimow is one of the most disliked commanders of the Baltimore police department, as he has a reputation for being a "Trojan Horse", "Virus", and a "Unit Killer". It is stated by Sgt. Jay Landsman that "Marimow does not cast off talent lightly. He heaves it away with great force". Marimow is also unafraid to threaten his subordinates' careers as a means of punishing them for insubordination or similar defiances. He prides himself on being a streetwise commander and having worked his way up through the ranks. While Marimow has worked hard to earn his rank, his hostile command style has established his negative reputation throughout the department. He believes it would be easy to topple Marlo Stanfield, but his first series of raids fail, as he underestimates his targets. Marimow orders his men to take Stanfield down, leading Herc to break several rules by hiring a lip reader to spy on Stanfield, and using a video camera without a court order or Marimow's approval. Marimow accurately suspects Herc of lying to him about the source of his information. Herc also has Internal Investigations Division (IID) complaints sent to the office for attempted arrests based on misinformation. Marimow vows to Herc that he would be happy to attend his "execution" at an IID trial if he could prove he was lying. Marimow leaves the Unit when Cedric Daniels becomes the Criminal Investigations Division colonel and reinstalls Lester Freamon and Lieutenant Asher. Show creator David Simon left the Baltimore Sun after a bitter feud with editor William K. Marimow. Simon chose to name an unsympathetic character after his old enemy.[3]

Police of The Wire Thomas "Herc" Hauk Herc was a capable narcotics detective but his tendency towards brutality and acting without thinking held up his career progression as a member of the Barksdale and Sobotka details. To improve his chances of making sergeant he transferred to the Mayor's security detail. He returned to the Major Crimes Unit as a newly promoted sergeant. Herc is fired from the department after an Internal Investigation Division hearing. Detail members Ellis Carver A detective on Daniels narcotics shift who followed him into the Barksdale and Sobotka details. He left the detail in season 2 for a drug enforcement unit sergeant posting in the Western District. Patrick Mahon Played by: Tom Quinn Appears in season one: "The Detail"; "The Buys" and "Old Cases". Mahon was an elderly detective from the property unit who briefly worked with the Barksdale detail. Dubbed as a departmental "hump", he and his partner Polk had not made a single case in property crimes over their last ten years. The two were also regarded as a pair of drunks who were incapable of driving soberly. He is punched by Bodie Broadus, a young drug dealer, when the detail raid the low rise projects. Mahon takes early retirement following his injury, and is last seen encouraging Polk to do the same. Augustus Polk Played by: Nat Benchley Appears in Season one: "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager" and "The Wire". Season two: "Collateral Damage" (uncredited) and "Hot Shots" (uncredited). Season five: "Late Editions". Polk was an aging detective from the property unit who worked briefly in the Barksdale and Sobotka details. He is often called "Auggie" by his partner Pat Mahon. He is generally regarded as a "hump", since he has not made a single case in property crimes over their last ten years. He is also an alcoholic. After his partner Mahon retired due to injury, Polk considers deliberately injuring himself to follow in his partner's footsteps. Unable to follow through on his plan, he becomes despondent and goes on a drinking binge. He misses several days' work and finally shows up drunk at 9am. Lieutenant Daniels tells him to take sick leave for his alcohol problem or work "wet". Polk opted for sick leave and is off until the case is closed. In the second season, he is briefly assigned to the first Sobotka detail under Lieutenant Grayson. When Major Valchek complains about the unit being full of humps, Daniels is put in command and Polk is moved back to property. In the ninth episode of the fifth season, Polk makes a small cameo, as the officer running the evidence control locker in one of the precincts. After helping Commissioner Daniels locate a crucial piece of evidence, Daniels tells Polk that he's "glad he landed okay". Displaying his usual sarcasm, Polk replies "Yeah...beats working". Michael Santangelo For a full character description see Western District section, below. Original Barksdale detail member partnered with Jimmy McNulty. He was dumped from homicide by Major Rawls for refusal to act as an insider in on Rawls' behalf. Santangelo took a post driving the narcotics wagon in the Western District.

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Police of The Wire Unit members Shakima "Kima" Greggs Daniels' female protege who mentored Herc and Carver while in Narcotics. She transferred to homicide when Lieutenant Marimow came into the unit as he was a caustic commander who was difficult to work for. When Marimow left, she remained in homicide due to the higher pay. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski Prez was the son-in-law of deputy commissioner Stan Valchek who had a knack for tracing phone patterns and money accounts but was inept on the streets. Prez left the department after accidentally shooting a plainclothes African American officer Derrick Waggoner. Caroline Massey Played by: Joilet F. Harris Appears in Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation" and "Middle Ground". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees". Officer Massey joined the show in season three as a member of the Major Crimes Unit under Lieutenant Cedric Daniels. Massey is a world-weary officer with a penchant for sarcasm and cutting coupons. She was particularly adept at deciphering the slang used by Barksdale drug dealers on wiretaps of cellular phones. Her diligent work manning wiretaps earned the respect of Lester Freamon when she was part of his successful undercover operation to supply pre-wiretapped phones to the Barksdale organization. In season four, Massey continued to work with the Major Crimes Unit and settled into her role. When the unit was assigned Lieutenant Marimow as a commander, Freamon transferred out. Massey and Sydnor were left to face Marimow closing down their wiretaps and ordering raids on weeks old targets.[1][4]

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Homicide unit
The Homicide Unit of the Baltimore City Police Department is responsible for the investigation of all unexplained deaths that take place within Baltimore City. (They are also responsible for investigating all police-related shootings, and, because the homicide unit is generally regarded as containing the best detectives on the police force, they are often given high-profile cases which are not necessarily homicides.) A clearance rate of 50% or more for the year is aimed for and the Unit is amongst the most demanding in the Criminal Investigations Division. Sergeant Landsman's squad is typically the focus of the show, though there is at least one other squad (according to David Simon's book, there are typically three homicide squads in Baltimore, on rotating shifts). The unit is currently under the C.I.D. supervision of Colonel Cedric Daniels. Like the real department described in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the unit uses a red-black system of tracking cases where red is the color for an open/not cleared case and black is the color for a closed/cleared case. Additionally similar slang such as "dunkers" (easy cases), "whodunits" (difficult cases), and "redball" (media attention gaining cases) are used to describe the various cases. Victims who are not associated with the drug trade or other crime are often referred to as "taxpayers". A running practical joke within the unit is to cut a sleeping detective's necktie with scissors and pin them to a notice board in the unit office. Detectives often fall asleep in the office (or on stakeout) because of the overtime demands and have at times worked double and triple shifts as they have dealt with multiple murders. This was used most prominently in the third season.

Police of The Wire

100

Current members
Jay Landsman Landsman is a squad sergeant in the homicide unit who must divide his loyalties between his men and his superiors. Frank Barlow Played by: Michael Stone Forrest Appears in: Season one: "The Target" Season five: "Not for Attribution", "Took" (uncredited), "Clarifications" Frank Barlow is a Caucasian detective in the homicide unit who first appeared as the primary detective at the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale. Despite having two witnesses, Barksdale is found not guilty due to witness intimidation in the court room. Barlow appears later in the series with open murders of homeless men that his colleague Jimmy McNulty ties into his fabricated serial killer. Barlow then sees that McNulty is falsifying paper work on the homeless murders case to provide resources for detectives to investigate unrelated cases. Barlow blackmails McNulty into providing funds for him to take a long weekend to play golf in South Carolina. Christeson Played by: Dennis Hill Appears in: Season five: "More with Less", "Took", "Clarifications", "Late Editions" and "30". Christeson is a young African American detective who is the homicide unit's newest detective. He first appears assisting detectives Moreland and Norris on a "polygraph-by-copier" where an idiotic suspect confesses to a homicide. Christeson is the first detective whom Jimmy McNulty covers for the "homeless killer" and he is granted overtime to solve a case which the department's upper command interferes with. Michael Crutchfield Played by: Gregory L. Williams Appears in: Season three: "Moral Midgetry", "Back Burners", "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Home Rooms", "Soft Eyes", "Refugees", "Alliances", "Margin of Error", "Unto Others", "Corner Boys", "A New Day" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Not for Attribution", "Took", "Clarifications", and "30". Crutchfield is an African American detective in the homicide unit whose name is mentioned earlier in the series but who does not appear on screen until season three. He was the primary detective at the murder that took place in Major Colvin's "free zone" and withheld the investigation at Colvin's request. Colvin then helped create a "dunker" case having his suspect turned in after threatening the drug dealers in the "free zone". In season four, Crutchfield played a bigger role appearing with Vernon Holley getting an identification of Omar Little as a murder suspect from Old Face Andre. When Bunk Moreland wanted to re-examine the case, Crutchfield displayed his anger over Bunk wanting to reverse one of his clearances. Crutchfield then promised to reverse a clearance of Bunk's as payback for going back on a solved case. When Ellis Carver left a message for Bunk, Crutchfield deliberately threw it away, causing a lengthy delay in the discovery of the bodies being left all over the city by the Stanfield Organization. Crutchfield ended season four investigating murders at the hands of the Stanfield Organization.

Police of The Wire In season five Crutchfield remains with Sergeant Jay Landsman's homicide squad. Crutchfield helps Bunk to manipulate a confession from DeShawn Williams. Crutchfield buys Monell, another involved party, a McDonalds' meal and parades the boy in front of Bunk's interrogation room to lead Bunk's suspect to believe his friend had turned against him.[5][6] When departmental cut backs lead to withholding of overtime Crutchfield secures part time work as a security guard to replace his lost pay. Crutchfield is assigned a triple homicide case and partnered with Detective Kima Greggs. The victims are Junebug, his wife and bodyguard and Crutchfield notes that the killing was a professional hit.[7] According to Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, there was actually a caucasion detective in the Baltimore Police Department homicide division named Michael Crutchfield.{date=September 2007}} Shakima "Kima" Greggs Greggs is a tenacious investigator and a rookie homicide detective. She was a key member of the Major Crimes Unit and proved herself on both the Barksdale and Sobotka investigations. She struggles to balance her life as a police officer with her role as a potential mother with her partner. Vernon Holley Played by: Brian Anthony Wilson Appears in: Season one: "The Wire" and "The Hunt". Season two: "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Season three: "Hamsterdam"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Soft Eyes", "Alliances", "Margin of Error", "Unto Others", "Corner Boys", "A New Day" and "Final Grades". Season five: "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", and "30". Holley is an African American detective in the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit under the command of Major Rawls and later Colonel Foerster followed by Cedric Daniels. Holley often works with Norris, Bunk, or Crutchfield and is one of the unit's more short tempered and physically intimidating detectives. He first appeared with partner Ed Norris and caught the case of the murder of Omar Littles boyfriend Brandon. They recognized a connection to the recent murder of Omars crew member Bailey because both corpses were found in Kevlar vests. They called in their colleague Jimmy McNulty and the Barksdale detail's work secured a conviction for the murder against soldier Wee-Bey Brice. Following the shooting of detective Kima Greggs, Holley found her confidential informant Bubbles paging her from a payphone. Holley assumed he was a suspect and had uniformed officers bring him in for an interrogation. Believing Bubbles to be the shooter, Holley came into interrogate Bubbles in an accusatory and threatening manner and when Bubbles was unable to respond to his questions, Holley quickly lost his temper and started to beat him. The beating kept on until Sergeant Landsman restrained Holley with Bubbles asking for McNulty. When Jimmy came up, the situation was cleared up and Holley lied about Bubbles trying to attack him as a means of justifying the beating. In season two Holley was briefly seen investigating the murder of Frank Sobotka. In season three he is assigned to investigate the murder of Tosha Mitchell and Tank and later the shooting of Stringer Bell, both working with Bunk Moreland. During this season, he was also seen called to duty for other investigations as the city's homicide rate was rapidly approaching 300 murders for the year. In season four, Holley initially works as the secondary investigator on Norris' case of a murdered state's witness named Braddock that becomes a "red ball" case. Later in that investigation, he is replaced by Kima Greggs for political reasons. Holley and Crutchfield are then seen catching the case of a delivery woman murdered in the

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Police of The Wire convenience store of Old Face Andre. They interview Andre who quickly identifies Omar Little as the killer in a photo array. When Omar is arrested he manages to convince Bunk Moreland he is innocent and Bunk asks Crutchfield and Holley to re-open the case. Crutchfield refused to entertain the idea[1] but Holley agrees that Andre was a possible drug dealer and went with Bunk to the crime scene reluctantly. At the scene revisitation, Bunk viewed evidence confirming Omar's innocence in the shooting as he stated that Andre's store was a drug stash house, Andre's story made no sense, and he most likely did the implication of Omar for ripping of his stash. Holley and Bunk then reappeared with a grand jury summons where at the courtroom, Holley managed to intimidate Andre both physically and legally to have him confess his role in lying about the murder. Holley ends Season 4 assisting Crutchfield, Norris, and Bunk in the investigations of murders caused by Marlo Stanfield's crew.[8] According to Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, there was actually an African American detective in the Baltimore Police Department homicide division named Vernon Holley. William "Bunk" Moreland Bunk is a well liked and proficient member of the homicide unit. Although he is a capable detective, Bunk is a known alcoholic with a penchant for infidelity. Ed Norris Played by: Ed Norris Appears in: Season one: "The Wire", "The Cost", "The Hunt" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Stray Rounds" Season three: "Time After Time", "All Due Respect" and "Dead Soldiers". Season four: "Boys of Summer", "Soft Eyes", "Alliances" (uncredited), "Margin of Error", "Unto Others", "A New Day" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less", "Transitions", "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect" (uncredited), "Took", and "30". Norris is a homicide detective who has been in the unit for 15 years since 1991 according to Season 4. Norris and his squad mate Vernon Holley first appeared assigned to the case of the murder of Omar Littles boyfriend Brandon. They recognized a connection to the recent murder of Omars crew member Bailey because both corpses were found in Kevlar vests. They called in their colleague Jimmy McNulty and the Barksdale detail's work secured a conviction for the murder against soldier Wee-Bey Brice. Norris was also lead detective on the shooting of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and Kima Greggs this time working with Detective Ray Cole. This case was also solved when Wee-Bey confessed to the shooting. In season two he appeared briefly when investigating the shooting of a child by a stray bullet. In season three he attended the wake of his colleague Ray Cole. Norris remains with the homicide unit in season four when he is the lead investigator in the politically important murder of a state's witness. He is briefly taken off the case and replaced with Greggs, now a rookie in the squad, in order to slow progress because of pressure from the Mayor. Norris is soon reinstated when this story is leaked to the press. He works alongside Greggs to maintain a coverup story that they were always working together. Norris secures an informant for the witness murder, but his attempt to break the story right before the election leads to him and Greggs being sent off to a security detail at a polling station for the day. Norris continues to pursue this lead after the election, however Greggs solves the case with a careful recanvassing of the crime scene before he is able to make progress. She earns Norris' respect with her work although he responds to the knowledge that the shooting was random with incredulity because of the political ramifications it had.[1] Norris is played by ex-police commissioner of Baltimore and ex-convicted felon Ed Norris.[9] His cameo appearances are a source of irony on the show, and he is often given dialogue bemoaning the state of the Baltimore

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Police of The Wire police department.[10] Winona Appears in: Season two: "Ebb Tide", "Hard Cases" Season three: "Dead Soldiers", Mission Accomplished (uncredited) Season four: "Soft Eyes", "Refugees", "Corner Boys"; "Know Your Place", "A New Day", "Final Grades". Winona is a recurring background character who maintains The Board at the offices of the BPD Homicide Division. She is a middle-aged African-American woman with a distinctive, bouffant red hairdo. Her name is first mentioned by Detective McNulty in episode 20.

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Former members
Ray Cole Played by: Robert F. Colesberry Appears in: Season one: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Detail" (uncredited); "The Wire" (uncredited); "The Cost" (uncredited); "The Hunt" (uncredited); "Sentencing" (uncredited). Season two: "Ebb Tide" (uncredited); "Collateral Damage" (uncredited); "Undertow (uncredited); "Stray Rounds" (uncredited). Ray Cole was a somewhat inept member of Sergeant Landsman's homicide squad under the command of William Rawls. Cole was the lead investigator of the death of Anton "Stinkum" Artis. His colleague Bunk Moreland told him that there was information about the case as part of a wiretap investigation that Bunk's partner Jimmy McNulty was involved in. The information would jeopardize the wiretap so they promised they would give it to Cole when the case closed. McNulty never intended to give Cole the information because the perpetrator was his informant Omar Little. Cole was secondary investigator on the shooting of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and Detective Kima Greggs. Cole achieved a clearance in the case working alongside lead investigator Detective Ed Norris when the case was solved with a confession from Wee-Bey Brice. Cole was initially assigned the fourteen Jane Doe homicides that Rawls had tried to avoid. Jimmy McNulty was responsible for proving the cases fell under Rawls' jurisdiction. McNulty called Cole collateral damage when discussing Cole's misfortune with Bunk. Landsman reassigned the case to Bunk and Lester Freamon because he felt he needed his most capable detectives on it. Cole died unexpectedly and the department held a wake for him. Landsman gave a eulogy for Cole at the wake.[1] Cole was played by the show's late executive producer, Robert F. Colesberry, who died unexpectedly of complications from heart surgery. The character's wake was in part a tribute to Colesberry. In all subsequent seasons, the opening titles showed Cole's photo next to his coffin at the wake.

Police of The Wire Lester Freamon Freamon is a methodical detective who was very skilled at homicide investigations but was once kicked out of the unit for angering the Deputy of Operations. He was let back in by William Rawls on two occasions transferring out on both to be of more assistance in leading the Major Crimes Unit. Freamon is a methodical and competent homicide detective who was exiled to the Pawn Shop Unit for thirteen years (and four months) for angering the then-Deputy of Operations. He was transferred to the Barksdale detail in Season One, later returning twice to the Homicide unit. Jimmy McNulty McNulty was one of the homicide unit's better detectives until his insubordination drew the ire of his commander Major Rawls. Rawls had him transferred out of homicide at the end of season one, although he did return in Season Five. William Rawls Rawls was a Major in homicide promoted to Criminal Investigations Division Colonel and then Deputy Commissioner of Operations. He was a ruthless and feared commander of the unit who expected nothing less than unwavering loyalty and competence from his detectives.

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Western District
The Western District (along with the Eastern District as shown in Season 3) of the Baltimore Police Department is one of the city's most violent districts and is located in the middle of West Baltimore at 1034 North Mount Street. The Western District has been examined in greater depth than any other on The Wire and was the center of the major investigations in seasons one, three and four.

Current staff
Command Currently, the Western District is administered by Major Dennis Mello, former deputy to Howard Colvin, who was forced into retirement. Dennis Mello Played by: Jay Landsman Appears in: Season 2: "Stray Rounds" (uncredited). Season 3: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season 4: "Boys of Summer"; "Margin of Error"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day"; "Final Grades". Season 5: "More With Less", "Took" Mello first appeared on the series as Western District administrative lieutenant and Major "Bunny" Colvin's second in command and confidante before Colvin's forced retirement. Mello then ran the district until Major Daniels was named district commander. Mello ran briefings for the Western district at roll call maintaining a sense of humor, typically dismissing the men with "don't get captured" and jokingly referring to them as "humps" and "mopes". Mello was once again given command of the Western district after Daniels' promotion to C.I.D. colonel at least until a new Major is given district command. Incidentally, the actor who plays Dennis Mello is a retired Baltimore detective named Jay Landsman, and was the real-life basis for the character of the same name in the show.

Police of The Wire Mello appeared with Colvin during the accidental shooting of a nine year old child going off of Colonel Rawls' command to shake the district down for all known drug dealers to get a murder suspect. Mello comments that it was too bad a child had to die before locking all the drug dealers up while Colvin questions what it is they are really doing. He accompanied Colvin to comstat meetings. Mello was aware of Colvin's "Hamsterdam" free zone where he allowed drug dealing to go unpunished. Mello was worried, but did not report Colvin's actions to his superiors. Colvin protected Mello following the discovery of Hamsterdam by their superiors and after Colvin's departure, Mello was temporarily promoted to Western District Commander. The two remained friends. In season four Mello returned to his post of administrative lieutenant as Major Daniels was granted the district commander post. Mello worked closely with Daniels and the two tried to convince Officer McNulty to take a position in their operations unit. Both rated his capabilities highly but could not convince him to leave his position in patrol. Daniels however remembering McNulty's past insubordination viewed McNulty's position as a patrolman as a self-redeeming job and was more understanding of McNulty's desire to work as a patrolman. Mello was given command of the Western district again when Daniels was promoted to Criminal Investigations Division colonel. Mello continues to give charismatic roll call briefings including readying his men for polling station duty and introducing the murder warrant for Omar Little. When Commissioner Burrell tried to reassert his command of the force by "juking the stats", the district commanders were told to increase the number of arrests in their districts whether they be felonies or minor infractions. After seeing his officers at work, he went to Daniels to discuss the orders patrol had been given. Mello was personally opposed to this statistical posturing claiming that while the troops were increasing the minor infraction arrests, they were locking up the neighborhood people in the process. Claiming that half of his officers felt the same way, he then asked who they were doing this for as the election was over. Daniels informed Mayor Carcetti who then initiated a new order for the department to no longer make arrests based on statistical quotas but rather quality felonies, something Daniels had been lobbying for. Mello then was later seen commanding the Western troops to do the complicated (by Baltimore Police standards which Mello jokingly states is uncomplicated only if officers went to college or were born by women who did not drink alcohol while they were pregnant) task of searching empty homes for bodies at the request of former district major Cedric Daniels and detective Lester Freamon.[1][11] The character is named after a real-life Captain Dennis Mello, who was the Western District commander when Ed Burns was an officer.[12] Ellis Carver Sergeant Carver is SIC (Sergeant in Charge) of the Western District under Major Mello. At the end of the series Carver is promoted to Lieutenant. Uniformed Patrolmen Brian Baker Played by: Derek Horton Appears in Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect" Season four: "Misgivings"; "A New Day" (uncredited). Season five: "Took" (uncredited) Baker is a rookie patrolman assigned with Castor to the Western District under the command of Bunny Colvin in Season three. He and Castor are both forced by Colvin to carry a compass until they can correctly identify the north direction. In Season four, Baker teams with officer Jimmy McNulty to arrest two people for a string of felony church burglaries. McNulty allows him credit for the arrest, later concurring with Bunk Moreland that Baker could be "good

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Police of The Wire police". Bobby Brown Played by: Bobby J. Brown Appears in Season one: "The Target" (uncredited); "The Wire" (uncredited) and "The Cost" (uncredited). Season three: "Middle Ground" (uncredited). Season four: "Refugees"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day" (uncredited). Season five: "More With Less"; "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Clarifications"; "Late Editions"; and "30". Bobby Brown is a Western District uniformed officer. He was the first officer on scene at the shooting of William Gant. He was also at the Brandon Wright crime scene. Detective Jimmy McNulty later enlisted Brown to help watch the home of Wallace. In season 3 when Major Colvin institutes the Hamsterdam initiative Brown is one of the officers freed up to be assigned to investigate complaints rather than perform radio car patrols and he solves a church burglary case. Brown was later present with Sergeant Ellis Carver to both warn and arrest Namond Brice for selling drugs on a pre-indicted corner. In season five Brown is livid about the withholding of his overtime pay and is insubordinate in Carver's first roll-call briefing as Sergeant in charge. Brown is involved in a parking lot brawl with another officer over the poor state of a vehicle he hands over.[6] [13] Later, Brown is the first officer at a suspicious death that is investigated by Detective McNultythe death is later ruled natural as predicted by Brown and McNulty.[7] Brown's character is strikingly similar to a Baltimore police officer also called Bob Brown, played by another actor featured in David Simon's miniseries, The Corner. Bobby J. Brown is also featured in The Corner as another officer. Aaron Castor Played by: Lee E. Cox Appears in Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect" and "Moral Midgetry" (uncredited) Season five: "More With Less"; "Unconfirmed Reports" Castor is a rookie patrolmen, assigned with Baker to the Western District under the command of Howard Colvin in season three. He and Baker are both ordered by Colvin to carry a compass until they can correctly identify the north direction. He is apparently the nephew of former Baltimore Police officer Lloyd Castor, whom Major Colvin has dubbed as "good police". In season five Castor is first seen warning his new Major, Dennis Mello, about a brawl in the district parking lot.[6] Later, Castor is the first officer at the triple homicide of Junebug and his wife and associate investigated by Detective Kima Greggs. Castor fails to notice a child hiding in a closet when he secures the scene and Greggs hears the child when she arrives.[7] Michael Santangelo Played by: Michael Salconi Appears in Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "The Buys"; "Old Cases"; "The Wire"; "One Arrest"; "Game Day"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt"; "Cleaning Up" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Margin of Error"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day". Season five: "Transitions", "Took", and "30".

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Police of The Wire Mike "Sanny" Santangelo is an Italian American officer responsible for driving the district arrest van in the Baltimore Police Department's Western District. In season one, Santangelo is an eight-year veteran in the Homicide Unit.[14] Santangelo was sent with Jimmy McNulty into the Barksdale detail by William Rawls to spy on McNulty. Rawls sent him to the detail because Santangelo was one of the unit's more inept homicide detectives, with a clearance rate of less than 40%, whose excuse for his performance is a lack of easy cases. He tries to resist, saying that it isn't his job to inform on a fellow cop, so Rawls orders him either to solve one of his open cases, all of which are difficult cases, inform on McNulty or leave the Homicide Unit altogether. Sergeant Landsman recommends a psychic, "Madame LaRue", and Santangelo, in desperation, follows her instructions to bury a doll in the murder victim's grave. That evening, McNulty solves another of the open cases, and Santangelo, though pleased, doesn't understand why a different case was solved. Landsman tells him that the psychic was meant as a joke and that Bunk and McNulty did his work for him. With the clearance, Santangelo is able to refuse Rawls' demands and is grateful enough to tell McNulty that Rawls wants him fired. Santangelo is demoted to patrol officer at the end of season one for failing to give Rawls any more information. In season two, he is seen briefly as a beat officer, arresting Bubbles and Johnny when they try to steal medical supplies from an ambulance. In season three, he drives the Western district prisoner transport vehicle under the command of Major Colvin. When he encounters former Barksdale detail members McNulty and Kima Greggs, Santangelo mentions that he is happy at being a patrolman as his job is easier: he is no longer a detective, he no longer deals with difficult commanders like Rawls and still takes home the same pay and pension contributions. He remains a patrolman in the Western District in season four, when McNulty transfers in alongside him. During a counter-terrorism seminar, he was the first officer to point out the uselessness of Western District officers learning anti-terrorism tactics in a crime ridden district. Santangelo is also one of several officers present for the arrest of Omar Little on a murder warrant.[1] Eddie Walker Played by: Jonnie Louis Brown Appears in: Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day". Walker is a corrupt African American patrolman in the Western District. He is a violent bully, who is feared and loathed by Namond, Michael, and the other young drug dealers in the area, and several times is seen brutalizing them. He is first seen stealing money from Randy and later he steals bootleg DVDs from Bubbles, after Bubbles attempted to report a robbery. He is the arresting officer for Omar Little, stealing a ring from him in the process. After Walker breaks Donut's fingers for giving him more paper work to do after a car chase, Michael orchestrates an act of revenge. When Walker exits a club late one night, Donut runs down the sidewalk keying cars; Walker chases him into an alley, where Michael and Namond are waiting for him. Michael makes Walker drop to his knees at gunpoint and sees the ring that Walker stole from Omar (who stole it from Marlo, who took it from Old Face Andre); he takes it before Namond drenches Walker with paint. Walker tells fellow officers that he was attacked by Bloods. Walker's attitude earns him the respect of more zealous officers and the disdain of others, such as Jimmy McNulty. McNulty later describes Walker as an "asshole", while talking to Bodie Broadus.

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Police of The Wire Plainclothes Officers Anthony Colicchio Played by: Benjamin Busch[15] Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Alliances" (uncredited); "Margin of Error"; "Misgivings"; "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less", "Transitions" Anthony "Tony" Colicchio is a narcotics officer in Sergeant Ellis Carver's drug enforcement unit squad in the Western District of Baltimore. He was often partnered with fellow squad members Herc Hauk and Lloyd "Truck" Garrick. Colicchio is part of the operation that resulted in the shooting of Officer Dozerman. Along with the rest of the squad, Colicchio is involved in policing drug tolerant zones set up by his district commander Major Colvin without the knowledge of his superiors. It is Colicchio who inspires the name Hamsterdam, after citing Amsterdam's liberal drug laws as a metaphor for Colvin's new policies. As Colicchio is zealously committed to using brute force to fight the war on drugs, he describes the drug-free zones as "moral midgetry." Colicchio remains in Carver's squad in season four, and Carver tries to bring him around to his new way of doing thingsgetting to know the street dealers and cultivating informants. Colicchio takes part in Lieutenant Marimow's failed raids in the Western district. Colicchio is also present for the arrest of Omar Little on a murder warrant, relishing finally bringing in the legendary criminal.[1] With his overzealous attitude, Colicchio is delighted to participate in the arrest hike ordered by Commissioner Burrell to appease the city's politicians. He appears outside a bar with other officers, causing a near riot with their "quality of life violation" arrests against people with open alcohol containers. (Major Colvin had compared "Hamsterdam" to the practice of not enforcing violations of open-container laws when the bottles were obscured by paper bags.) Colicchio's method of policing, however, supports the Broken Windows Theory.[16] In season five, Colicchio remains in the Western District drug enforcement unit[6] and continues to take a combative approach to his work. He is the subject of an Internal Investigation Division investigation after he attacks a teacher who had asked him to move a vehicle while he was making an arrest. Carver refuses to back Colicchio when he shows no remorse for his action, and actually charges him with conduct unbecoming an officer and excessive force. Colicchio accuses Carver of being a rat, but Carver is not deterred by the damage to his reputation.[17] Colicchio is played by Benjamin Busch, who spent two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps.[18] Lloyd "Truck" Garrick Played by: Ryan Sands Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Corner Boys"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day"; "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less"; "Clarifications"; "Late Editions" Lloyd "Truck" Garrick is an African American narcotics officer in Sergeant Ellis Carver's squad in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department, often partnered with fellow squad members Herc, Lambert and Colicchio. Garrick was part of the operation that resulted in the shooting of Officer Dozerman. Along with the rest of the squad Garrick was involved in policing drug tolerant zones set up by his district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin without the knowledge of his superiors. He was with Herc when he phoned the paper to report Colvin's

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Police of The Wire actions and again when he met with a reporter. In season 4, Truck appeared briefly at a useless lesson for Western police on counter-terrorism and once assisting Herc and Carver.[1] In Season 5, Truck appears with the Western District officers who are frustrated by the lack of overtime pay due to city cutbacks. During Detective Jimmy McNulty's homeless killer case, McNulty has Western District Sergeant Ellis Carver detail officers to track Marlo Stanfield's crew including officers Brown, Dozerman, and Truck. Lambert Played by: Nakia Dillard Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; Reformation. Lambert is an African American narcotics officer in Sergeant Ellis Carver's Drug Enforcement Unit in the Western District of the Baltimore Police Department, often seen with fellow squad members Herc, Anthony Colicchio, and Lloyd "Truck" Garrick. He was part of the operation that resulted in the shooting of Officer Dozerman. After Dozerman's shooting the D.E.U.'s hand to hand operations were suspended as Major Colvin did not want to see anymore of his men come close to death over a minimal amount of drugs.[1]

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Former staff
Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin Colvin was the veteran Major and District commander who was forced out of the department due to his "Hamsterdam" experiment that de-criminalized drugs, despite this causing a reduction in felonies. Kenneth Dozerman Dozerman was a friend of Carver and Herc in the DEU that moved into the Major Crimes Unit in season 4. Thomas "Herc" Hauk A former D.E.U. member who was a partner of Ellis Carver. He left the Western District to work on the Mayor's security detail. Jimmy McNulty McNulty was a former beat officer who became a detective. He returned to patrol in season 4 but after the death of an informant, he rejoined the Major Crimes Unit.

Others
The following are former officers or assistant police not part of a District, Administrative, or Criminal Investigation Division.

Walter Cantrell
Played by: Dave Trovato Appears in Season one: "The Detail" and "Sentencing" (uncredited). Season four: "Unto Others" (uncredited). Walter Cantrell is a Major and the Southern District commander. He is first seen in season one where he is a lieutenant and commands Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski and Leander Sydnor. Lieutenant Cedric Daniels bargains with Cantrell to have Sydnor assigned to the Barksdale detail to compensate for taking the erratic Pryzbylewski. Cantrell and Daniels are both candidates for the next Major post and because of Daniels insubordination while conducting the

Police of The Wire Barksdale investigation Cantrell receives the promotion at the end of the first season. He is seen again in season four commanding the Southern District and preparing new Mayor Tommy Carcetti for a ride along.

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Claude Diggins
Played by: Jeffrey Fugitt Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Duck and Cover"; "Storm Warnings" and "Port in a Storm". Diggins is a Baltimore police department Marine Unit officer who partners Jimmy McNulty when he is assigned to the unit. He advises McNulty on how to make the best of the situation, but McNulty hates the fumes. Diggins is forgiving of McNulty's time away from the unit and shares his own boat with Bunk Moreland and McNulty to pose as a fishing craft when observing Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. He has a noticeable Baltimore accent .

Randall Frazier
Played by: Erik Todd Dellums Appears in Season one: "The Detail" Season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots" and "All Prologue" Season three: "All Due Respect" Frazier is a Baltimore police department medical examiner. He is involved in the investigation of the death of William Gant. Later he was responsible for the autopsies of fourteen unidentified women found at the Baltimore docks. He helped Jimmy McNulty to prove that the deaths occurred in the city jurisdiction by establishing time of death based on the air supply in the container the bodies were discovered in. He also linked the bodies to a specific plastic surgery clinic by identifying a breast implant type that several of the women shared and tracing the serial number. This information helped the detectives to establish that the women were sex trade workers.

Beadie Russell
Russell is a port authority police officer and a single mother who develops an interest in case work following a chance discovery.

Marvin Taylor
Played by: Barnett Lloyd Appears in Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers" Taylor is an African American Major who was the acting commander of the Eastern District. Under pressure from the Mayor's office, Ervin Burrell is told to start coming down on the department to reduce the crime rate by any means possible. As Taylor's district had a low number of felony arrests and handgun confiscations in addition to a high number of homicides in a very short period of time, Deputy Rawls angrily tells him that he had eight hours to get a grip on his district or he would be fired. Cedric Daniels and Jimmy McNulty then arrested an eastside drug dealer named "Cheese" whom they suspect of being responsible for some of the murders in his district. When insufficient evidence against "Cheese" or any other suspected murderers is present, Rawls berates him one last time at a Comstat meeting, after which Commissioner Burrell relieves Taylor of command. This is intended as an example to all the other commanders in the department, that if they did not improve their statistics they will also be replaced.

Police of The Wire

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Torret
Played by: Derren M. Fuentes Appears in Season one: "The Hunt", "Cleaning Up" Season two: "Stray Rounds" Season three: "Middle Ground", "Mission Accomplished" Lieutenant Torret is an African American officer who appears in charge of the Quick Response Team (QRT) when they are required for raids and arresting criminals. He first appeared in Season 1 leading the search for Savino and then commanding the unit to surround Avon Barksdale's strip club during his arrest. In Season 2, he appeared leading the raid on the Franklin Terrace towers when a nine year old child was accidentally shot and killed by a stray round in a shootout between drug dealers. In that raid he had the unit arrest everyone in "The Pit" as he assumed them a suspect for being around that area. In Season 3, he appeared at the rank of Major commanding QRT and Tactical units city wide no longer actively participating in the raids. He helped plan and lead the raid to shut down "Hamsterdam" at the orders of Deputy Rawls. He was present with Rawls finding the body of drug addict Johnny Weeks who was then taken to the morgue in a squad car as a means of preventing the media from linking the death to the "Hamsterdam" experiment.

Relatives
Cheryl
Played by: Melanie Nicholls-King Appears in Season one: "The Target"; "Old Cases"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Hard Cases"; "Hard Cases"; "All Prologue"; "Storm Warnings" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "All Due Respect" and "Back Burners". Season four: "Know Your Place" Season five: "Transitions", Cheryl is Kima Greggs' live-in partner; she works in the television news industry and often worries about Kima's safety as a police officer. She hopes that Kima will take a less dangerous job and start a family with her. She also appears to do most of the cooking and cleaning in the relationship. After Kima's shooting, Cheryl insists that she take a desk job. Kima acquiesced for a time, but eventually returned to investigative work in the second season. Cheryl jealously insists on accompanying Kima when she went to interview a contact in a strip club. She finds this hard to understand, until Kima showed her the conditions in which fourteen girls were murdered. In season two, Cheryl becomes pregnant by artificial insemination, and in season three, the couple have a baby boy. Kima begins to spend less time at home, and Cheryl was left to deal with motherhood alone. Kima eventually realizes she does not want to be a parent, and moves out of their shared home. Kima is behind on her child support for much of season four, but gets some overtime in homicide and visits Cheryl, who is now happy with her new partner.

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Elena McNulty
Played by: Callie Thorne Appears in: Season one: "Old Cases" and "The Cost". Season two: "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue" and "Backwash". Season three: "Time After Time"; "Hamsterdam" and "Straight and True". Season four: "Misgivings" Season five: "React Quotes" Elena is Jimmy McNulty's estranged wife. They have two children together Sean and Michael. Elena is angered by Jimmy due to catching him in bed with another woman. She uses her lawyer to try to destroy Jimmy throughout the first season as much as she can. She is also protective of her sons and worries that Jimmy is a dangerous influence on them because of his drinking. When he exposed them to danger by having them tail the subject of his investigation, Stringer Bell, she filed for an emergency order to prevent him from seeing the boys. At the court hearing the judge convinced them to work out arrangements between themselves. In season two Elena was seen at work as a realtor showing a house to Nick Sobotka. Jimmy tried to initiate a reconciliation with Elena and considerably cleaned up his drinking habits and behaviour. The two slept together but in the morning Elena asked Jimmy to leave as she felt it would be unfair on her sons for them to see him in the house. In season three, Elena is established as seriously dating a man named Dennis who appears at Orioles Baseball games in the front row wearing a suit and spending most of the game talking on a cell phone. Jimmy's partner Bunk Moreland suspects that Dennis is a downtown lawyer due to his appearance and mannerisms. In season four, Elena saw that Jimmy was becoming more stable as a patrolmen and stated to him that "If I knew you were going to grow up to be a grown up..." suggesting that she wishes she was the one reaping the benefits of this new Jimmy McNulty.

Sean McNulty
Played by: Eric Ryan Appears in: Season one: "The Wire"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Hot Shots". Season three: "Time After Time"; "Straight and True" and "Slapstick". Season four: "Misgivings" Season five: "React Quotes" Sean is Elena and Jimmy McNulty's oldest son. He lives with his mother and his brother Michael following his parents separation but still sees his father. Jimmy teaches his sons the front and follow technique and when he spotted Stringer Bell in a market he had them follow him. Michael and Sean managed to record Stringer's number plate, which aided their father's investigation. In a brief appearance in the fourth season, he says he wants to be a rock star.

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Michael McNulty
Played by: Antonio Cordova Appears in: Season one: "Old Cases"; "The Wire" and "Lessons". Season three: "Time After Time"; "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True" and "Slapstick". Season four: "Misgivings" Season five: "React Quotes" Michael is Elena and Jimmy McNulty's younger son. He lives with his mother and his brother Sean following his parents separation but still sees his father. Michael plays soccer and Jimmy tries to attend his games. Jimmy teaches his sons the front and follow technique and when he spotted Stringer Bell in a market he had them follow him. Michael and Sean managed to record Stringer's number plate, which aided their father's investigation. In a brief appearance in the fourth season, he says he wants to be a video game designer.

Actual BPD Officers who have appeared

The following is a list of actual Baltimore Police Department officers who have appeared on the show at some point. Many of these officers were either commanders of the department or featured officers in the David Simon's books of The Corner and Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

Gary D'Addario
recurring character Former Baltimore Police Department Major who was featured homicide unit shift lieutenant in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. He appears recurringly as a grand jury prosecutor named Gary DiPasquale.

Leonard Hamm
Season five: "Not for Attribution" Former Baltimore Police Department Commissioner who appears as a midnight shift homicide detective in Season 5.

Jay Landsman
recurring character Former Baltimore Police Department Sergeant who was featured homicide unit sergeant in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. He appears recurringly as Western District Administrative Lieutenant turned Major Dennis Mello.

Edward Norris
Recurring character Former Baltimore Police Department Commissioner who appears as a recurring character of the same name working as a homicide detective.

Jimmy Rood
Season four: "Boys of Summer" Baltimore Police Department C.I.D. Major who appears as a patrolman in Season 4 who encounters mayoral candidate Tommy Carcetti.

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Donald Worden
Worden is a former Baltimore Police Department homicide detective featured in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets who appears as a midnight shift homicide detective in season five. He is also mentioned in episodes in season one ("The Pager"), season three ("Slapstick"), and season five ("Not for Attribution").

Other officers mentioned

The following is a list of other Baltimore Police Department officers who have been mentioned on the show at some point. Many of these officers were either commanders of the department or featured officers in the David Simon's books of The Corner and Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. Ed Burns Mentioned in: :Season three: "Slapstick" Former Baltimore Police Department narcotics detective turned school teacher who co-authored The Corner with David Simon. Michael Crutchfield recurring character of the same name Former Baltimore Police Department homicide detective mentioned in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets who spawned a character of the same name played by actor Gregory L. Williams throughout the series. Richard Garvey Mentioned in :Season one: "Cleaning Up" Baltimore Police Department homicide detective featured prominently in David Simon's 'Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'. He is mentioned by his last name as the detective investigating the murder of Nakeysha Lyles. Vernon Holley recurring character of the same name Former Baltimore Police Department homicide detective mentioned in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets who spawned a character of the same name played by actor Brian Anthony Wilson throughout the series. Roger Nolan Mentioned in :Season one: "The Target" Former Baltimore Police Department Sergeant who was featured homicide unit sergeant in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. Nolan's name is mentioned as the sergeant of another homicide unit in the department. Rick Requer Mentioned in :Season five: "Transitions" Former Baltimore Police Department homicide detective featured in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets who spawned a character named Oscar Requer played by actor Roscoe Orman in Season 5. Requer was the basis for the character of Bunk Moreland.

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References
[1] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [2] "Actor De Angelis of 'The Wire' Dies at 73" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060104073202/ http:/ / entertainment. tv. yahoo. com/ entnews/ ap/ 20060101/ 113617950000. html). Yahoo! News. 2006. Archived from the original (http:/ / entertainment. tv. yahoo. com/ entnews/ ap/ 20060101/ 113617950000. html) on 2006-01-04. . Retrieved 2006-01-01. [3] David Simon at My Nemesis (Stoop Storytelling Series) (http:/ / www. stoopstorytelling. com/ shows/ 19/ storytellers/ 169) [4] "Character profile - Officer Caroline Massey" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ caroline_massey. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [5] "Character profile - Detective Michael Crutchfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_crutchfield. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-14. [6] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [7] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [8] "Character profile - Vernon Holley" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ vernon_holley. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12. [9] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [10] "Character profile Detective Edward Norris" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ edward_norris. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-10-29. [11] "Character profile - Lieutenant Dennis Mello" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ dennis_mello. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [12] King, Jim (2006-12-04). "3rd Exclusive David Simon Q&A" (http:/ / www. members. aol. com/ TheWireHBO/ exclusive4-9. html). Borderline Productions. . Retrieved 2008-03-15. [13] "Character profile - Officer Bobby Brown" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ officer_bobby_brown. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-14. [14] "Character profile - Michael Santangelo" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_santangelo. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-28. [15] "Cast & Crew - Benjamin Busch as Anthony Colicchio" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ benjamin_busch. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-24. [16] "Character profile - Anthony Colicchio" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ anthony_colicchio. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-24. [17] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [18] "Vassar Alum Provides "Marine's-Eye View" of Iraq War through Photo Exhibit" (http:/ / www. collegenews. org/ x6078. xml). . Retrieved 2008-06-27.

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Jimmy McNulty
James McNulty
First appearance Last appearance Created by Portrayed by "The Target" (episode 1.01)

"30" (episode 5.10)

David Simon Dominic West Information

Aliases Gender Occupation

Jimmy, McNutty, Bushy Top Male Major Crimes Unit Detective (Seasons 1-3 and 5), Baltimore City Homicide Detective (Seasons 1 and 5), Baltimore Marine Unit (Season 2), Western District Patrolman (Season 4) Detective Elena McNulty (ex-wife), Beadie Russell (girlfriend) Sean McNulty, Michael McNulty

Title Spouse(s) Children

Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department. While he has proven himself to be a talented and determined detective, he is disliked by many of his superiors because of his arrogance, disdain for authority, and disrespect for the chain of command. When off the job, he has frequent problems involving alimony, alcoholism, child support, and relationships. McNulty is nevertheless central to many of the successful high-end drug investigations that take place within the series.

Character storyline
McNulty grew up in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore. His father worked for Bethlehem Steel before being laid off in 1973. McNulty joined the police department after a year of college in Baltimore when his girlfriend Elena (whom he later married) became pregnant. In his first few years in the BPD he proved himself to be an effective patrolman in the Western District under the command of Major Colvin. After assisting Detective Ray Cole in solving a homicide (Cole had arrested the wrong man), he was promoted to detective and assigned to the homicide unit, where he was partnered with Bunk Moreland.

Season 1
Before the start of the series, McNulty had noticed that drug kingpin Avon Barksdale was expanding his organization's territory, and had successfully beaten several murder prosecutions. McNulty was responsible for the formation of the Barksdale detail following the trial of D'Angelo Barksdale, who is found not guilty after a witness changes her story in court. In the Judge's chambers, McNulty is frank about his observations and the lack of investigation so far, prompting Judge Phelan to call Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell. McNulty's commander, Major Rawls, is furious with him for going around the chain of command. McNulty tells Bunk that he hopes this investigation will lead to a case that means something to him. Sergeant Jay Landsman asks McNulty what unit he would least like to be assigned to, and McNulty says that he finds the diesel fumes in the Marine Unit intolerable.

Jimmy McNulty Because of McNulty's conversation with Judge Phelan, a case unit is formed, initially consisting of Narcotics Lieutenant Cedric Daniels and his squad of Kima Greggs, Ellis Carver, and "Herc" Hauk. Deputy Burrell then asks his majors and shift lieutenants to send additional detectives for the investigative detail. As Burrell has made it clear that the case is no more than a cosmetic exercise, most of the officers sent are drunken or incompetent "humps". McNulty himself is also assigned to the unit. Daniels and McNulty argue about how to handle the case at their first meeting: McNulty, after seeing an FBI drug sting, suggests surveillance and wiretaps, but Burrell has ordered Daniels to put together a quick and simple case to appease Phelan. Soon after the investigation begins, McNulty learns from his friend in the FBI, Special Agent Fitzhugh that Daniels had been investigated for having a suspiciously large amount of liquid assets. McNulty's relationship with Daniels continues to be complicated by their mutual distrust. The detail is assigned assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman as a prosecutor, with whom McNulty is having a casual sexual relationship. McNulty is officially separated from his wife, who limits his contact with his two sons, Sean and Michael. While shopping with them one afternoon, McNulty spots Stringer Bell, and sends his sons to tail him and get his license plate number. When Elena finds out, she seeks an emergency order to stop him from seeing his sons. She is also angry that he continues to see Pearlman casually. Working on the Barksdale detail, McNulty becomes friends with Lester Freamon, who had previously been exiled to the pawn-shop unit for thirteen years (and four months) for his insistence on charging a politically-connected fence. Freamon often tries to temper McNulty's aggressive attitude towards Lt. Daniels. Frustrated that Barksdale's dealers do not use cell phones, they decide to clone the dealers' pagers instead. They also work together to convince Daniels to allow them to do better police work. With the help of Kima Greggs, McNulty tracks down the elusive Omar Little, gaining his respect and cooperation. Omar agrees to testify against "Bird" Hilton. His assistance also leads to McNulty inadvertently solving one of Santangelo's old cases; a grateful Santangelo in turn reveals that he is a mole for Rawls, who is looking for an excuse to fire McNulty. Kima introduces McNulty to her CI Bubbles. When she is shot in a buy-bust sting operation gone wrong, McNulty is guilt-ridden, though even Rawls assures him that the shooting is not his fault. McNulty has a frank discussion with Daniels in which he admits that the Barksdale case is no more than an exercise in intellectual vanity and an opportunity to demonstrate the department's shortcomings. Daniels tells him that everyone has known this all along but that the case has taken on meaning for those involved. The detail succeeds in arresting Wee-Bey Brice for shooting Kima, "Bird" Hilton for murdering a state's witness, and both D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale. McNulty almost convinces D'Angelo to testify against Avon but, ultimately, D'Angelo takes a twenty-year sentence instead. When the Barksdale investigation closes, Rawls reassigns McNulty to the marine unit, having learned from Landsman that this is precisely where McNulty does not want to go.

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Season 2
McNulty is bored at his new job in the Marine Unit, where he is partnered with Claude Diggins. While on harbor patrol, he spots the body of a dead girl in the water. When Rawls argues the case is not in his jurisdiction, McNulty, seeking revenge, spends three hours poring over wind and tide charts to prove the death occurred within City jurisdiction. When Beadie Russell finds thirteen dead bodies in a shipping container on the Baltimore docks, McNulty again intervenes and, with the help of the medical examiner, proves that these deaths are also within Rawls' jurisdiction. The case is given to Bunk and Freamon, much to their chagrin. To make amends, McNulty promises to discover the identity of the girl found dead in the water, but is ultimately unable to do so. Bunk Moreland is also pressuring McNulty to find Omar, who is needed to testify against Bird. McNulty coerces Bubbles into tracking down the elusive stick-up man, and Omar testifies successfully. McNulty signs an agreement that he will pay alimony, believing it to be unnecessary because he can still salvage his marriage. He decides to give up alcohol and detective work, two of the main reasons for the breakup of his marriage. When Elena confirms the marriage is over, he grows despondent, and drinks more heavily than ever.

Jimmy McNulty When Daniels's unit is recreated to investigate Frank Sobotka, a vengeful Rawls refuses to allow Daniels to have McNulty. McNulty seems to accept this with good grace, but tries to help the detail unofficially. Daniels persuades Rawls to let McNulty return to the unit by taking on the murders of the fourteen girls. McNulty's first assignment is to go undercover as a client visiting a local brothel, much to the amusement of his colleagues. He also flirts with Beadie Russell, who has been assigned to Daniels' detail, though he seems to shy away from a relationship. While on surveillance, McNulty watches Spiros Vondas, an associate of the shady figure known as The Greek, send a text message. He reasons that the time and location of the text could be used to retrieve it from the phone company's databases; it is from this message that the detail learn that the Greek had shut down his operations. After McNulty learns from Bubbles that Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe are sharing territory, he begins investigating them on his own time, convinced that he can gather enough evidence to prompt Daniels to focus the MCU's attention on Bell.

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Season 3
McNulty returns to a detective position when the Major Case Unit is formed in season three, but is disappointed that their target is not Stringer Bell. He begins looking into the Barksdales anyway, finding out about D'Angelo's supposed suicide and Avon's early release. Investigating D'Angelo's death, he quickly realizes that D'Angelo was murdered. McNulty reconnects with his old commanding officer from the beginning of his career, Major Colvin, to set up the Barksdale organization as the Major Crimes Unit's primary target. McNulty circumvents the chain of command again to set up an investigation of Barksdale, as Daniels is not interested in the quality of the unit's assigned case targets, blaming his rank in the department for his lack of case target interests. Angered by McNulty's back burning attitude, Daniels tells McNulty, "When the cuffs go on Stringer, you need to find a new home, you're done in this unit!" Even Freamon thinks McNulty should be more loyal to Daniels. McNulty begins a relationship with political consultant Theresa D'Agostino, but he realizes that she is only interested in him physically. He eventually grows dissatisfied and feels less fulfilled. Largely due to Freamon's work, the Unit implicates Stringer Bell, but he is murdered before McNulty can arrest him. After Avon is arrested, Daniels reevaluates his decision to get rid of McNulty, but McNulty realizes he has no life outside his work. He is transferred to patrol in the western district, which he remembers as the happiest time of his life, and begins a relationship with Beadie Russell.[1]

Season 4
McNulty's role was drastically scaled down in the fourth season. The character moved in with Russell and her two children, and is enjoying his life as a patrolman in the Western district alongside Sergeant Ellis Carver. His beat includes the corner Bodie Broadus is working on behalf of Marlo Stanfield. Both Major Daniels and Administrative Lieutenant Mello ask McNulty to do investigative work in the district but he declines. Mello is disappointed but Daniels realizes that McNulty has been able to get his life in order while working as a patrolman. Though other officers make arrests for statistical purposes, McNulty focuses on quality arrests. This is exemplified by the arrest of two burglars who were stealing from churches. In the process he mentors Officer Baker, a younger patrol officer in the Western, whom he and Bunk Moreland end up referring to as "good police." He also significantly reduces his drinking, sometimes resolving to stay sober despite pressure from his friends. Bunk and Freamon are amazed and slightly dismayed at how much Jimmy has changed, and Elena expresses regret for having left him, saying "if I would have known you'd grow up to be a grown-up." McNulty soon begins to miss the Major Case Squad, and quietly begins getting closer to Bodie, hoping to turn him into an informant against Marlo. After "Monk" Metcalf sees Bodie with McNulty, Bodie is killed as a precaution. McNulty feels guilty, and rejoins the Major Case Unit, much to the delight of Freamon and Daniels.

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Season 5
Season Five opens with McNulty returning to old habits after a frustrating year-long investigation of the vacant murders yielded no results. When the Major Crimes Unit is closed down, McNulty is despondent, telling himself that he was talked into rejoining the unit by Command's promises of departmental reform. McNulty is transferred back to Homicide and his frustration manifests in heavy drinking and womanizing despite his relationship with Russell.[2][3] McNulty faces further frustration in the Homicide Unit when he cannot obtain a working vehicle to get to an accidental death scene. Waiting at the morgue, he finds Baltimore County homicide detectives Nancy Porter and Kevin Infante arguing with a new medical examiner. Porter explains that they were assigned an accidental death and the paramedics grabbed the decedent's neck to move him from behind a toilet. The medical examiner noticed signs of strangulation and intends to rule the death a homicide. McNulty is amazed that post-mortem strangulation is indistinguishable from strangulation which causes death. McNulty is drinking heavily on the job when assigned another probable overdose case with Bunk. McNulty disrupts the crime scene to make it seem that a struggle occurred. Bunk is outraged but McNulty continues, choking the corpse, stating that there is a "serial killer" in Baltimore. Bunk leaves, wanting no part of McNulty's actions. McNulty repositions the body to encourage bruising that indicates strangulation.[4][5] McNulty then searches for old cases to link to his fake strangulation to create the impression of a serial killer. He finds an old strangulation of a homeless man investigated by late detective Ray Cole, and doctors the case file to create connections to his own murder. McNulty also finds a strangulation of a homeless man investigated by Frank Barlow and notices a red ribbon tied around the victim's wrists. McNulty inserts mention of a red ribbon into the Cole case file and visits the morgue to tie a ribbon on his decedent's wrist. McNulty's decedent is ruled a death by strangulation by the medical examiner. After Landsman ignores these "serial murders," McNulty approaches Alma Gutierrez of The Baltimore Sun to generate publicity for them. His plan fails, however, when the story is relegated to the middle of the paper instead of the front page. Bunk repeatedly warns McNulty that his path leads to self-destruction; Lester, however, approves of McNulty's project and suggests that it needs sensationalism to succeed. McNulty continues to drink heavily and cheats on his domestic partner Beadie Russell.[6][7] McNulty and Freamon collaborate to enhance the media appeal of their serial killer story. McNulty finds that most dead homeless men are concentrated in the Southern District at night time. Freamon puts McNulty in touch with his old patrol partner Oscar Requer, who agrees to notify them of dead homeless men in the district. Freamon also devises a plan to show maturation in their serial killer's pattern and acquires dentures to create bite marks on the victim. McNulty and Freamon canvass an area where the homeless gather at night. McNulty doubts that actual canvassing is needed on their false case. Freamon believes it will make their reports verifiable and protect them from the potential consequences of their plan. McNulty complains Landsman barely noticed his work on the case, but Freamon reminds him that if their plan works, the case will attract more interest and sloppiness could be their downfall. McNulty returns home to a confrontation with Beadie Russell. She criticizes his behavior and drinking, which he claims is due to the case he is working. She reminds him of the strength of their relationship and says she used to disbelieve those who warned of his self-destructive behavior. When McNulty tells Russell that he must respond to another call because he is chasing a serial killer, she says he is chasing more than that referencing his philandering. She warns him not to return if he does not want to be there. McNulty attends a further death with Freamon on Requer's tip. McNulty fakes another homicide and mutilates the decedent to show bite marks and defensive wounds.[8] When investigating the "homeless killer", McNulty and detective Greggs travel to Quantico, Virginia for FBI assistance. McNulty realizes its a waste of time because he and Freamon have provided the police department with false information on the killer. Furthermore, McNulty has been voicing the killer all along giving the FBI the only means of tracking it. After doing the voice analysis, the FBI provide McNulty and Greggs with a psychological profile of the homeless killer, inadvertently giving a near-perfect description of McNulty:

Jimmy McNulty "The suspect is most likely a white male in his late twenties to late thirties, who is not a college graduate, but feels superior to those with advanced education, and is likely employed in a bureaucratic entity, possibly civil or public service. He has a problem with authority and a deep-seated resentment for those that have impeded his progress professionally. The sexual nature of the killings is thought to be a secondary motivation and the lack of DNA or saliva in the bite marks suggests possible postmortem staging. He may be struggling with lasting relationships and potentially a high functioning alcoholic with alcohol being used as a trigger in the crimes. The suspects apparent resentment of the homeless may indicate a previous personal relationship with a homeless person or the targeting may simply be an opportunity for the killer to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess." McNulty appears sheepish as his character flaws are spelled out for him. McNulty confesses to Greggs, who informs Deputy Commissioner for Operations Cedric Daniels. A furious Daniels (with Pearlman accompanying him) meets with Acting Commissioner Bill Rawls, State's Attorney Rupert Bond, and the Mayor's office. Daniels and Rawls confront McNulty, informing him that this will be his last CID case. He starts by solving a new crime in the 'serial killer case'. A mentally ill homeless man McNulty had met on his previous canvas has started using the modus operandi of McNulty's serial killer. McNulty brings the man, his final criminal, to justice. After attending a detective's wake (of sorts) in his and Lester's honor (they have been told they will never again be allowed to do real police work), McNulty leaves the bar and his friends, suggesting an attempt to reconcile with Russell. The show closes with a montage of McNulty looking at the city of Baltimore, revealing the fates of some characters.

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Critical response and analysis

Jim Shelley of The Guardian has described the character as "irresistibly charming, a classic anti-hero; a modern-day Rockford."[9] Entertainment Weekly said that the character was exemplary of the funky feel of the show citing his naturalistic dialogue, soulful voice and easy rapport with his African-American work partners.[10] The character has been described as defying genre conventions although his actions drive several plot points he is not quite the central character implied by the show's opening or promotional material.[11] Flak Magazine also picked McNulty as a central character and commented on the uncommon experience of having the main character fit to a standard police character archetype ("He has poor impulse control. He's personally fearless and outspoken, and he bangs babes like a hunchback rings bells") but also exposing the archetype as self destructive and emotionally immature.[12] Salon.com described McNulty as "The heart, soul and oft-impaired nervous system of "The Wire"", again selecting him as a central character. Salon also chose McNulty's pride as his main character trait, saying that this aspect of his personality made him a successful investigator and a failure in most other aspects of his life.[13] Entertainment Weekly picked McNulty as offering one of the show's most wicked ironies: he is one of the characters you would expect to be on the side of law and order as a police detective but they describe him as a "boozing cop who pisses on authority and order."[14]

Origins
David Simon, the character's creator, has described his goal of presenting McNulty as ambiguous in his motivations. Based on his experiences with real detectives, he feels that most crime dramas present their police characters with the inherent falsehood that they care deeply about the victims in the cases they are investigating. Simon states that in his experience a good detective is usually motivated by the game of solving the crimehe sees the crime as an "insult to his intellectual vanity" and this gives him motivation to solve it.[15] The character was originally named Jimmy McArdle but because no one liked the name, executive producer Robert F. Colesberry suggested renaming him Jimmy McNulty (after his maternal grandmother). Dominic West's original audition tape for the part was recorded with him as the sole actor leaving spaces for the lines that would be spoken back to him. The producers were amused by the tape and agreed that they had to give him an audition.[16]

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References
[1] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [2] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Joy Kecken & Scott Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [9] Jim Shelley (2005-08-06). "Call The Cops" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ theguide/ tvradio/ story/ 0,14676,1542359,00. html). London: The Guardian. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [10] "Wire Power" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,264531~3~~wire,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. 2002-06-28. . Retrieved 2007-10-03. [11] Jon Garelick (2004). ""A man must have a code" - listening in on The Wire." (http:/ / www. bostonphoenix. com/ boston/ arts/ tv/ documents/ 04139983. asp). Boston Phoenix. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [12] James Norton (2005). "The Wire vs. The Sopranos" (http:/ / www. flakmag. com/ tv/ wire. html). Flak magazine. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [13] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [14] Gillian Flinn (2004). "TV 2004 The 10 Best" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ commentary/ 0,6115,1009257_3_0_,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [15] Ian Rothkerch (2002). "What drugs have not destroyed, the war on them has" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ tv/ int/ 2002/ 06/ 29/ simon/ index. html). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [16] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books.

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Kima Greggs
Shakima Greggs
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Sonja Sohn Information Aliases Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Children Kima Female Baltimore Police Detective Detective Cheryl (former) Elijah (Son)

Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a police detective in the Baltimore Police Department who is a dedicated officer and capable detective with some off-the-job issues. Openly lesbian, she has had problems involving infidelity, alcohol, and relationships. Greggs played a key role in all of the show's main cases.

Biography
Season 1
Kima was a narcotics detective working alongside Detectives Ellis Carver and Thomas "Herc" Hauk and under shift lieutenant Cedric Daniels in Major Foerster's narcotics division. She outshone her colleagues on several occasions Carver was sometimes embarrassed at her abilities, as she was the junior detective in the trio, and Herc was sometimes angered by taking orders from a lesbian whom he considered arrogant. She cultivated a relationship with her Confidential Informant, Bubbles, a Baltimore drug addict, who became a useful contact due to his extraordinary memory for faces. Greggs lived with her partner Cheryl, a broadcast journalist, and was studying for a law degree from home, having been pressured to do so by Cheryl. Greggs was assigned the task of putting a file together on the Barksdale organization in the controversy generated by the acquittal of D'Angelo Barksdale. She was then assigned to the Barksdale detail and made lead detective by Lt. Daniels. Greggs managed to obtain invaluable information from Bubbles, who correctly identified Barksdale Organization members on the street and worked out the methods of their operation. Detective Jimmy McNulty and Kima worked closely together during the Barksdale case. Greggs became friends with McNulty and introduced him to Bubbles. When Bubbles confirmed to McNulty that Kima was a lesbian, Jimmy complimented Kima, claiming the only other competent female detective he worked with was also a lesbian. McNulty jokingly added from there that they could both have fun talking about "pussy." Greggs told him being open about her sexuality kept attention from male colleagues away. They spent hours together in surveillance and put in more time trying to track down the legendary stick-up man Omar Little. They managed to get Omar's attention after he got into a war with the Barksdale organization, during which Omar's lover and stick-up partner was murdered, and persuaded him to testify against Barksdale soldier Bird for the murder of William Gant.

Kima Greggs Greggs provided a second useful confidential informant while working with Lester Freamon. They persuaded D'Angelo's new girlfriend Shardene Innes to turn against him by providing her with evidence that the Barksdale crew were responsible for the death of a friend of hers. Shardene met D'Angelo through working as a hostess at Orlando's, a strip club and front for the Barksdale organization. Greggs was shot and wounded in an undercover buy bust operation ordered by Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell. The sting relied on Wendell "Orlando" Blocker, a front man for the Barksdale organization and license holder for Orlando's. Orlando was arrested by narcotics police and turned over to the Barksdale detail when they diligently checked to see if any of the names Orlando gave them were under investigation. Orlando was killed in the failed sting and Greggs was shot before she could retrieve the weapon she had hidden in the vehicle they were using. By the time her backup arrived on the scene the shooters had fled. The Barksdale detail's wiretaps identified those responsible as the soldiers Savino, Wee-Bey and Little Man. Both Savino and Wee-Bey were arrested and Little Man was murdered before the police could reach him.

123

Season 2
Greggs recovered fully from her injuries and took a desk job in the narcotics unit, at the request of her girlfriend Cheryl, who feared her getting injured again and hoped to start a family. Greggs was teased by her old partner Herc and missed the action of street work. She joined the investigation of Frank Sobotka under Lieutenant Daniels at his request. Her return to street duty caused major friction between herself and Cheryl, now pregnant with a child. Greggs worked with Prez to investigate the vice aspects of the smuggling ring linked to Frank Sobotka. They located a whore house operating out of a high class apartment building using women illegally brought into the country and held like prisoners. Greggs' contact Shardene Innes was useful in providing links to the exotic dancing world that pointed them towards the whorehouse. Cheryl insisted on accompanying Kima to the strip clubs, showing a jealous streak. When Kima showed Cheryl photos of the girls killed in a failed attempt to smuggle them into the country Cheryl began to be more understanding. Cheryl also makes a decision to become pregnant through artificial insemination this season and asks for Kima's support in raising the child. Greggs however is not interested in parenting and only goes through reluctantly. Later McNulty rejoined the team and Greggs worked with him to infiltrate the apartment building by setting him up as a potential customer. Their hard work resulted in the arrest of the madam and other members of the detail solved the deaths of the other girls. Greggs moved on to trying to investigate the leaders of the smuggling ring but the detail found the trail ran dry just as they were closing on "The Greek" and his lieutenant Spiros Vondas. Bubbles was arrested near the end of Sobotka case and called on his connection to Greggs to get out of trouble. He turned Greggs and McNulty onto investigating the link between East side drug kingpin Proposition Joe and their old target Stringer Bell. Greggs and McNulty soon acquired photos of the two meeting together.[1][2]

Season 3
Greggs continued working with Lieutenant Daniels when the Major Case Unit was formed. The unit initially tried to build a case against Proposition Joe. They found that they made little progress through their wiretaps because the key members of Joe's organization did not talk on the phone. The case broke down when the unit arrested Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff on suspicion of murder when in reality he was talking about shooting his pet dog over the wiretap. With Proposition Joe aware of the wiretaps Daniels decided the unit had to move on. Greggs became something of a rogue element alongside McNulty. The two pursued the Barksdale organization even when the unit was supposed to be focused on Park Heights drug dealer Kintel Williamson. Freamon became exasperated with Greggs' lack of respect for Daniels. Greggs also became dissatisfied with her personal life now that

Kima Greggs Cheryl had her baby and began to cheat on her. Greggs went far enough to admit that she only agreed on the baby as a means of appeasing Cheryl. Eventually Greggs decided she had made a mistake and the two reconciled. The Barksdales became involved in a turf war with Marlo Stanfield and the unit shifted their focus back to them. The unit infiltrated the Barksdale organization with wiretaps and had many of their key players tied in a case including Stringer Bell. Bell was murdered before the Major Crimes Unit could arrest him; he was given up by Avon as their friendship broke down. Avon was arrested, but on the basis of a tip from Bell before his death rather than the unit's casework. At the close of the season Daniels was promoted to Major and left the unit.[3]

124

Season 4
Greggs and Freamon became the de facto leaders of the unit when Daniels was promoted to commander of the Western District. Their new commander Lieutenant Jimmy Asher was a friend of Freamon's and was a lenient commander focused on his retirement and building a beach house. As a result, Asher did not mind what they did leaving them to go about the investigation without any chain of command interference. As elections approached Freamon picked up the investigation of the Barksdale money trail and served subpoenas for financial records on many political figures. Greggs was responsible for delivering the subpoena to campaign fundraiser Andy Krawczyk. Freamon convinced the others that they would be protected from the politicians because they were under close scrutiny at election time. The unit focused on Marlo Stanfield's organization now that he had control of West Baltimore. They quickly gathered probable cause for wiretaps on key Stanfield lieutenants Fruit and Monk Metcalf. Fruit was murdered but Bunk Moreland from homicide faithfully delivered his cellphone to the unit allowing them to establish more of the Stanfield network. Greggs was responsible for surveillance of a drug dealer supplied by Stanfield, Old Face Andre. She determined that his re-supply was delivered to a convenience store that he ran. The detail felt they were making progress when they recorded Marlo talking to Andre on Monk's phone. Greggs even recognised the sound of gunshots in the background and wondered why Marlo was taking shooting practice when they had been unable to tie him to any drug murders. Because of the subpoenas, Commissioner Ervin Burrell was threatened by Mayor Clarence Royce for trying to charge his campaign fundraisers weeks before the election. Deputy Commissioner William Rawls suggested that the problem be solved by giving the unit "proper supervision" and installed Lieutenant Charles Marimow as the new commander. Marimow ordered the unit to stop investigating the Barksdale money trail and to close down their investigation of Stanfield. Marimow reasoned that they should be making faster cases against street level dealers tied to violence. Dismayed at this change in direction Greggs decided to transfer out of the unit. She went to Major Daniels to ask for a position in his district. Daniels insisted that Greggs was too skilled an investigator for district work but offered to help her move laterally. He secured Greggs a position in the homicide unit by asking Rawls. Greggs transfers into Jay Landsman's squad and is joined by Freamon. She faces merciless teasing from her colleagues. Greggs is further embarrassed when she is ordered to take over the Braddock case - an investigation of a murdered witness - because of pressure to slow the investigation. A further indignity occurs when the story of the reassignment is leaked to the press and the original investigator, Ed Norris, is reassigned as the primary. Greggs, Norris and Landsman attend a press conference intended to diffuse the story with the facade that Greggs and Norris were working together all along. When Greggs and Norris attempt to interview a prisoner who claims to have information about the shooting, their investigation is again scuppered by Rawls who orders them to work uniform duty at a polling station. Rawls explains to Landsman that whichever way the case goes, it will hurt the chances of one of the mayoral candidates who are neck and neck in the polls. After the election, Greggs is able to proceed with the investigation. She interviews the main suspect in the case but comes to the conclusion that he is innocent. Greggs then picks out a detail in the case which leads her back to the crime scene, where she spots a ricochet mark in a nearby wall. Greggs realizes that Braddock was killed accidentally by a stray bullet, not because he was a witness.

Kima Greggs In Episode 9, Greggs's paycheck reveals her address as 847 N Calvert St, No. 3, in Mount Vernon neighborhood, although the zip code of 21218 would place the address further north, on 33rd St near the former Memorial Stadium site. Her bi-weekly pay, including the substantial overtime from two major cases, is $2,521.53.

125

Season 5
Greggs is drafted into the reconstituted major crimes unit by Lester Freamon. They spend a year investigating the Stanfield Organization and their potential links to the vacant house murders. Greggs is frustrated when financial problems at city hall lead to withholding of the department's overtime pay. Eventually the major crimes unit is closed down by Mayor Tommy Carcetti and Greggs is transferred back into the homicide unit.[4][5] Greggs is assigned as the primary investigator on a home invasion and triple homicide. The murder was committed by Chris Partlow and Snoop and the victims were a drug dealer named Junebug, his partner and his bodyguard. Junebug's two children are witnesses to the crime. One child fled the scene but Greggs finds the other still hiding in the closet. She arranges for the child to be taken in by social services. Greggs and her partner on the case Michael Crutchfield recognize that the killings are professional in nature because of the disabling of security cameras outside the house and the pattern of the wounds.[6][7] Continuing budget constraints mean that Crutchfield is quickly taken off the case and Greggs is left to work alone.[8][9] Greggs visits the child witness to try to get a statement but the child remains withdrawn. Greggs decides to try and reconnect with Cheryl and her son Elijah and arranges for him to stay overnight.[10] After McNulty confessed to Greggs that he created the fake serial killer, Greggs was stunned and angry about the deception and waste of resources.[11] She reported McNulty and Freamon to Daniels, which led to the end of their careers in the Police Department. At their going away party, McNulty and Freamon reconcile with Greggs, apparently understanding that she had to blow the whistle.[12] A major alliance in previous seasons, Greggs and Bubbles do not come in contact with each other after Bubbles decided to pursue a full rehabilitation following the events of season 4. No longer an informant, Bubbles achieves a full rehabilitation and reconciles with his sister.

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Character profile - Detective Shakima "Kima" Greggs" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ kima_greggs. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [9] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [10] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [11] "The Wire episode guide - episode 58 Clarifications" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode58. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-06-30. [12] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 -30-" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-06-30.

Bunk Moreland

126

Bunk Moreland
William "Bunk" Moreland
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Wendell Pierce Information Aliases Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Children Bunk Male Detective in the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police department Detective Nadine Three, two sons, one daughter

William "Bunk" Moreland is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Wendell Pierce. Bunk's character is based on a retired Baltimore City Police Detective named Rick Requer and nicknamed "the Bunk", an officer who joined the force in 1964 as a Western District patrolman who eventually moved into the Homicide Division.[1] Like his partner Jimmy McNulty, Bunk is shown to be a thoroughly competent and generally moral detective, with similar problems related to infidelity and alcohol abuse. He is however more mindful than Jimmy of the "chain of command" in the department.

Character storyline
Bunk attended Edmondson High School in West Baltimore, where he played lacrosse. He lives in Randallstown, MD, a predominantly African American suburb of Baltimore, with wife Nadine and three children. Bunk worked as a patrolman in Baltimore's Southwestern District before becoming a homicide detective.

Season 1
Bunk serves as Jimmy McNulty's lone ally in the homicide unit, informing him of its happenings while chiding him for getting involved in the Barksdale case. He is also the primary investigator for the murder of William Gant, who testified against D'Angelo Barksdale. Omar Little informs Bunk that the shooter is a Barksdale soldier called Bird, and agrees to testify against him in court. Because of this, Bunk persuades his colleague Detective Cole not to arrest Omar for the murder of Stinkum. When Omar is at the police station, Bunk discovers they went to the same high school, beginning an ongoing association between the two. After one night of particularly heavy drinking, McNulty has to pick Bunk up from a woman's house. Bunk has locked himself in her bathroom and burned his clothing so that his wife will be unable to find trace evidence of him having slept with the woman. At Landsman's insistence, Bunk and McNulty review the old Deirdre Kresson murder, which ultimately turns out to be related to the Barksdales, and is solved as part of the final arrests of D'Angelo Barksdale and Wee-Bey Brice.

Bunk Moreland

127

Season 2
Bunk is partnered with Lester Freamon in Homicide, and they are quickly recognized as the squad's best detectives. This reputation leads Landsman to assign them to investigate the deaths of fourteen Jane Does in a shipping container on the docks, a seemingly impossible case. They are detailed Officer Beadie Russell from the Port Authority, who initially found the bodies. The women suffocated after an air pipe was deliberately closed off. Bunk and Freamon track down the ship which carried the package, and hold it in port in Philadelphia to question the crew. None of the crew admit to speaking English, and Bunk and Freamon let the ship go after learning that two crewman jumped ship after Baltimore. Based on a few sparse facts, Bunk and Freamon deduce (correctly) that the women were prostitutes being smuggled from overseas, that one of the girls was murdered by a sailor after refusing sex, and the rest were killed for witnessing the crime. The murderer is one of those who fled, so the investigation is at an impasse, and Bunk and Freamon come under heavy criticism from a frustrated Colonel Rawls for releasing the ship without getting statements. Bunk also worries about the William Gant murder; state's attorney Ilene Nathan threatens to drop the charges if the police cannot find key witness Omar Little. Bunk repeatedly reminds McNulty of this, and eventually McNulty finds Omar with help from Bubbles. Omar testifies, and Bird is imprisoned for a maximum term. Later, Bunk and Russell return to the port in Philadelphia and find video evidence implicating Sergei, whose testimony leads to the solving of the Jane Doe murders, as well as aiding the Major Case unit's investigation into Frank Sobotka.

Season 3
When the city deals with five homicides in one night, Bunk must leave his son with McNulty at an Orioles game to investigate one. He quickly recognizes the scene of Omar Little's drug robberies, and (wrongly) believes one of the victims (Tosha Mitchell) to be an innocent taxpayer. He becomes incensed, and obsesses over her death, continuing to investigate it even after his superior officers Landsman, Colonel Raymond Foerster and Rawls order him to find the stolen weapon of Officer Kenneth Dozerman, who was nearly killed in a failed drug bust led by Sergeant Ellis Carver. They all consider the weapon's recovery a top priority, though he thinks it is a frivolous use of his abilities. Bunk meets with Omar, confronting him about the "innocent" victim. Omar informs him that she was part of his crew, and says he would never kill an innocent person. As Omar states that no one will talk to Bunk about the murder, and that she died in the game, Bunk makes Omar feel guilty about his negative influence on the world due to the collapse of their old West Baltimore neighborhood. Bunk says that predators like Omar are all that still exist in their old neighborhood, which was once a community despite its hardships. To assuage this guilt, Omar finds Dozerman's gun and returns it to Bunk. Bunk is also one of the investigators of Stringer Bell's murder, during which Bunk uses the acronym "BNBG" - Big Negro, Big Gun - to sum up witness Andy Krawczyk's stereotypical description of the murderer.[2] Bunk realizes Omar was the shooter but does not conclude the case. After the investigation, he tells McNulty the city's homicide rate will probably reach 300 by New Year's, noticing how McNulty has slowed down on his consumption of alcohol.

Bunk Moreland

128

Season 4
Bunk investigates the murder of Fruit, one of Marlo Stanfield's drug dealers. He is unable to find his main suspect, Curtis "Lex" Anderson, and it becomes clear that Lex was murdered, but no leads are forthcoming. At the same time, Bunk is surprised at McNulty's seemingly successful attempts to get his life back on track. Omar Little contacts Bunk after Chris Partlow framed him for murdering an innocent woman in a convenience store robbery. Bunk initially ignores him, reasoning that Omar was guilty of several other unproven murders (including Stringer Bell), but Omar appeals to his sense of honor. He tracks down new evidence proving that Omar's witness Old Face Andre lied, leading to Omar's release. In exchange, Bunk extracts a promise from him to never kill again. Freamon transfers back to Homicide, and the two are partnered again. Freamon manages to find Lex's body and, in the process, more than twenty other bodies, all of which are linked to Marlo Stanfield after Bunk gets key testimony from Lex's mother.

Season 5
Bunk first appears interrogating and manipulating a young murder suspect. With Detective Ed Norris and Sergeant Jay Landsman, Bunk gives the suspect a fake polygraph using a photocopier to coerce a real confession. Bunk and his colleagues are dealing with cutbacks, including no overtime pay, until the city's financial situation resolves. The fiscal problems cause the closure of the major crimes unit and the reassignment of Detectives Jimmy McNulty and Kima Greggs to Landsman's squad.[3][4] McNulty and Bunk are assigned a probable overdose. When they arrive, McNulty creates choking bruises on the body and stages the scene to suggest a strangulation. McNulty tells Bunk that he plans to create the illusion of a serial killer; Bunk leaves in disgust.[5][6] Bunk cannot sleep that night and returns to the homicide unit, disgusted again to find McNulty still there, drinking and poring over case files. Bunk warns McNulty about the potential consequences of his actions, including prison time, but McNulty refuses to back down. McNulty alters an old case file and further details of the probable overdose to create links to an open strangulation case being investigated by Frank Barlow. Bunk is forced to watch his machinations. Bunk enlists Freamon to talk sense into McNulty, but this plan backfires when Freamon decides that the plan could work and makes suggestions to improve it by sensationalizing the killer.[7][8] Bunk remains angry at McNulty and refocuses his attention on the vacant house murders. Bunk delivers a report to Landsman that is placed immediately into a desk drawer. Landsman points out that Bunk is simply changing the date while submitting essentially the same report. Bunk angrily asserts that he is forced to repeat his requests as he is still waiting for the crime lab to process evidence on 14 of the 22 murders. Bunk finally gets a DNA match on Chris Partlow for an unrelated murder, but agrees to delay his case in order to allow the Marlo Stanfield wire tap to continue.

References
[1] Simon, David (2006) [1991]. "Post Mortem". Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (4th ed.). Owl Books. p.641. ISBN0-8050-8075-9. "Rick 'The Bunk' Requer left to man the department's retirement services bureau, though his homicide incarnation lives on in Wendell Pierce's portrayal of the legendary Bunk Moreland on The Wire, right down to the ubiquitous cigar." [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO.

Bunk Moreland
[8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22.

129

Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon
First appearance "The Detail" (episode 1.02) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Clarke Peters Information Occupation Title Spouse(s) Baltimore Police Detective Detective Shardene

Lester Freamon is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clarke Peters. Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. He is a wise, methodical detective who makes major contributions to the series investigations.

Character background and plot relations

Detective Lester Freamon is a veteran of the force who established a reputation as what Bunk Moreland called "natural police" for his instincts, tenacity and intelligence. Before joining the force he served in the military. It is revealed in season 2 that he had fought in the Vietnam War. His first major unit was Homicide, but in 1989, acting against the orders of the Deputy Commissioner, he charged a politically-connected fence to coerce his testimony in a homicide case. Though the case was successfully closed, the Deputy still had Freamon transferred to the Pawnshop unit as a punishment after being told by Freamon that that was the one place he did not want to go. Freamon eventually spent thirteen years (and four months) in the assignment, until he had been completely forgotten by management. Deskbound for more than a decade, Freamon began making dollhouse furniture, a hobby which provides him with a substantial supplemental income, but also contributes to his eccentric reputation among fellow police. At the end of the series it was revealed that Freamon had joined the department in 1974 or 1975, having worked 32 years at his retirement. Coincidentally, Freamon had joined the department around the same time as ousted commanders Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (both of whom joined in 1973) yet had never obtained rank, focusing solely on police work.

Season 1
When the initial Barksdale detail was formed, Freamon was transferred in because he was viewed as a useless "hump", and the senior management had no intention of providing good detectives who would make a substantial case. After overhearing an offhand comment by Detective Greggs, Freamon tracked down a photo of Avon Barksdale, finally giving the unit a face to put to the name. He further impressed his colleagues when he found D'Angelo Barksdale's pager number at an abandoned stash house. Impressed by Freamon's capabilities, fellow detective Jimmy McNulty inquires about him in a conversation with Bunk who tells him Freamon is an ex-homicide detective. Later, while at the bar with Freamon, McNulty finds out that he was sent to the Pawn Shop unit for angering the then-Deputy Ops. Freamon then warns McNulty that he will probably suffer a similar fate at the conclusion of the case.

Lester Freamon Freamon proved himself adept at building a case through the use of a wiretap; he recognized patterns of pager messages and telephone calls, which led to several breakthroughs in the Barksdale case, most notably finding the main stash house in Pimlico. He also led the investigation into the Barksdales' financial records and uncovered their various political connections, instructing Sydnor and Pryzbylewski in the mechanics of following the paper trail. He also recruited Shardene Innes, one of the dancers in Barksdale's strip club, as an informant, beginning a romantic relationship with her in the process.[1] After Detective Greggs is shot, Freamon tracked a page made by Wee-Bey Brice, one of the shooters, to a pay phone where he found evidence implicating the other shooter, Little Man. He then used a contact from his pawn shop days (now working for a phone company) to trace call patterns and pinpoint Wee-Bey's whereabouts, leading to his arrest and conviction. Following the dissolution of the detail, Major Rawls noted Freamon's competence as a detective and transferred him back into Homicide. Rawls had made room for Freamon in Homicide by dumping McNulty to the Marine Unit in the fashion that Freamon had predicted.

130

Season 2
Freamon was partnered with Bunk Moreland, and they were quickly recognized as the best detectives in Homicide. Landsman assigned them a seemingly impossible case involving the deaths of fourteen Jane Does. They were detailed Beatrice "Beadie" Russell, the officer from the Port Authority who had initially found the bodies in a shipping container, as a liaison for the investigation. The women had suffocated after the air pipe to the container was deliberately closed off (except for one woman who was murdered and thrown overboard the previous night). Freamon and Bunk traveled to the Philadelphia port where they held the vessel that had delivered the container to Baltimore. They attempted to question the crew, none of whom would admit to speaking English. They eventually let the ship go after learning that two crewmen had jumped ship after Baltimore. Based on the few facts they had, Freamon and Bunk deduced that the women were prostitutes being smuggled in from overseas, that one of the girls was murdered by a sailor after refusing sex, and that the rest were killed for witnessing the crime. The murderer was one of those who fled, leaving the investigation at a dead end. Freamon and Bunk were severely rebuked by a frustrated Rawls for releasing the ship without getting statements. Freamon was relieved to be assigned, at Daniel's request, to the detail investigating Frank Sobotka and the dockworker's union. Though he continued to assist Bunk and Russell in the Homicide investigation, his primary focus became the investigation of smuggling through the Baltimore ports. On Russell's advice, Freamon convinced Daniels to clone the port's computers to track container movements. They were able to follow containers being moved illegally to a warehouse, ultimately linking Sobotka to the criminal activities of The Greek. The investigation closed with several arrests and, in the process, Freamon identified a dismembered body killed by The Greek's crew as being one of the crewmen who jumped ship. Bunk and Freamon solved the Jane Doe homicides after Sergei, facing a possible death sentence, gave them the details they needed, and Landsman and Rawls were again content with the Homicide unit's clearance rate.

Season 3
Freamon stayed with Daniels in the now-permanent Major Crimes Unit, building a case against their assigned target, a drug dealer named Kintel Williamson. Throughout the Season Freamon acted as a mediator between Daniels and McNulty. McNulty clashed with Daniels over the investigative targets and was urged by Freamon not to attempt any insubordinate moves, as Daniels had been the commanding officer who got McNulty out of the marine unit. When the unit's focus returned to the Barksdales, Freamon was stumped by the new strategy of using disposable cellular phones, finishing their pre-paid minutes before a wiretap could be approved. He masterminded a scheme wherein he went undercover as a con artist selling illegally recharged disposable phones (already wiretapped) to a Barksdale underling to whom Bubbles had been able to introduce him. Avon Barksdale himself was caught in a safehouse filled

Lester Freamon with illegal weapons and returned to prison, though an also-implicated Stringer Bell was murdered before he could be arrested.[2]

131

Season 4
Since Daniels was promoted to Major, Freamon is now the guiding force behind the Major Crimes Unit. The unit is running a wiretap on the Stanfield Organization, though Freamon is disappointed that Stanfield's lack of discipline is making the investigation too easy. Meanwhile, he continues to follow the Barksdale money trail, subpoenaing the financial records of state senator Clay Davis and property developer Andy Krawczyk. Freamon wrongly believes that Mayor Royce would not risk interfering with a criminal investigation to help them, because of the upcoming election. Feeling pressure from both, Royce angrily goes to Burrell and Rawls and forces them to deal with it. Burrell asks who is responsible for the subpoenas and Rawls correctly assumes Freamon as the lead instigator. In order to appease Mayor Royce, Rawls concludes that "proper supervision" will keep the unit under control and prevent them from moving forward. He installs a new commander, Lieutenant Marimow, aka "The Unit Killer", who immediately butts heads with Freamon by attempting to bring down the wiretap. Freamon is sent to Rawls who correctly assumes Freamon is willing to go to Judge Davis to keep his wiretap running. Rawls, recognizing Freamon's past instances of angering the department's senior commanders, points out Freamon's "gift for martyrdom" and instead subtly threatens his protegs Greggs and Sydnor, whom he claims will be the victim of Freamon's mistakes. Freamon agrees to allow the wiretap to be disconnected, but refuses to work under Marimow. Out of respect for his shrewd investigative tactics, Rawls transfers Freamon back into the Homicide Unit, where Bunk has been investigating the murder of Stanfield drug dealer Fruit and the disappearance of suspect Curtis "Lex" Anderson. They both recognize that Stanfield likely had Lex killed in retribution, but are unable to find the body anywhere. Freamon further observes that Stanfield is not tied to any murders since the Barksdale Gang War ended, and begins to scour Baltimore for any trace of the bodies he knows must be hidden somewhere. Herc unwittingly provides Freamon with a key clue, a nail gun he noticed when he pulled over Chris and Snoop. Pryzbylewski (now a teacher) provides second-hand information as to where Lex was killed. While checking abandoned row houses in that immediate area, Freamon notices that one of the doors was nailed in while the others were screwed shut, and realizes that Lex's body must be in that house. He further concludes that the Stanfield Organization is leaving bodies in row houses all over the City. With the nails identifying which houses are doubling as tombs, more than twenty bodies are found. Daniels, now a colonel gaining political traction, regains control over the Major Crimes Unit. He offers Freamon carte blanche, including the right to pick his own commander. Freamon assembles his team, and begins investigating Stanfield again, but Stanfield has been mentored by Proposition Joe, and is no longer as sloppy as he was.[3]

Season 5
Freamon reconstitutes the Major Crimes Unit under the command of Lieutenant Jimmy Asher. The unit includes detectives Jimmy McNulty, Kima Greggs, Leander Sydnor and Kenneth Dozerman. Initial investigations into the vacant house murders fails to provide enough evidence to bring charges against the Stanfield Organization. Freamon elects to settle into a long investigation and begins daily surveillance of Marlo Stanfield. Stanfield becomes aware of the ongoing investigation and curtails his violent activity and limits his discussion to face-to-face meetings. The unit becomes dissatisfied when fiscal problems at city hall lead to the withholding of over-time pay. The unit is eventually closed down to save funds. Freamon is detailed to the State's Attorney's office to continue to prepare a case against corrupt state senator Clay Davis. Sydnor joins him in the detail and they report to Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman.[4][5] Freamon heralds the Davis investigation as a career case but is unable to let go of the work he has done on Stanfield. Freamon continues surveillance of Stanfield in his own time and is pleased to find that Stanfield is already "dropping his guard" now that he is no longer under observation. Freamon and McNulty meet with FBI agent Terrence

Lester Freamon Fitzhugh seeking federal support for a renewed Stanfield investigation but have no success.[6][7] McNulty decides to secure funding for the Stanfield investigation by creating the illusion of a serial killer to draw media attention to the police department. Bunk Moreland is outraged that McNulty is interfering with crime scenes and falsifying case notes as part of his plan and enlists Freamon to talk sense into McNulty. McNulty has faked the strangulation of a homeless man who probably died of an overdose. Bunk's involving Freamon backfires when Freamon decides that McNulty hasn't gone far enough and suggests that he should make it more media-friendly by sensationalizing the killer.[8][9] Sydnor uncovers evidence that Davis has lied on a mortgage application and Freamon realizes it is significant enough to file federal charges. Rupert Bond decides not to file the new charge as passing the case over to federal prosecutors would cost him the opportunity to raise his political profile. Bond has Pearlman hold a grand jury deposition for Davis and stages a photo opportunity as Davis leaves the court house to mark Davis as his target. McNulty and Freamon collaborate on raising the profile of their fake serial killer, resulting in Freamon adding a sexual motive and supplying a set of dentures to create bite marks on the "victims". They conduct actual canvassing among the homeless as a cover. Freamon also recruits his old patrol partner Oscar Requer to look out for recently-deceased bodies of homeless men. They soon have their next fake victim and McNulty mocks up the crime scene and mutilates the body to imply another murder.[10] When Lester gets a hold of Marlo Stanfield's cell phone (via a loop from Vondas to Marlo to Levy to Herc to Carver to himself), he sets up an illegal wiretap on the phone but is initially surprised to find no conversations are taking place on it. Lester continues to work on the Clay Davis case and provides strong information in court, but it does not help the case's ultimate fate. Lester learns Marlo's cellphone is transmitting pictures of clocks and tries to break the code. When management provides more money for the fake serial-killer investigation, a full-court surveillance is done and Sydnor works out that the clock code is relaying information about different meeting locations in Baltimore. Lester tries to get the U.S. Attorney's office to prosecute Clay Davis for lying on his mortgage application (information Bond did not use in the failed city prosecution); while the office declines because Davis is now a hero in Baltimore, Lester uses the information to blackmail Davis for information about a leak at the courthouse. Lester sees the bust of the re-supply take place and Marlo, Chris, Monk and others are arrested. Lester is upset that Jimmy McNulty told Kima about the fake serial-killer plan. When word of the plan reaches Daniels and Daniels tells Carcetti, Lester's fate is sealed along with McNulty's. Pearlman tells them they will not face jail but will no longer be able to do real "police work", instead being buried in back-room units. Lester laments the loss of tracking Marlo's money trail, but takes the retirement, makes peace with Kima, and is last seen in the end-of-season montage putting together dollhouse furniture in the company of Shardene.

132

Critical response
Entertainment Weekly named Freamon one of the five most interesting characters in season four.[11] Television critic Alan Sepinwall has, on several occasions, stated that Freamon is his favorite character.

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Character profile - Detective Lester Freamon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ lester_freamon. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO.

Lester Freamon
[7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [9] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [10] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [11] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27.

133

Herc Hauk

134

Herc Hauk
Thomas Hauk
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Domenick Lombardozzi Information Aliases Occupation Title Herc Criminal Defense Investigator, former Baltimore Police Sergeant Private Investigator

Thomas "Herc" Hauk is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Domenick Lombardozzi. The series introduces Herc as a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Case Unit and the partner and loyal friend of Ellis Carver. Following promotion to sergeant, he is dismissed from the force after an incident involving the loss of a department surveillance camera. He subsequently works as a private investigator for attorney Maurice Levy.

Biography
Season 1
Herc and Ellis Carver typically worked as a pair in Narcotics, and both are intimidated by Kima Greggs' ability and annoyed at her superior attitude towards them. All three join the Barksdale detail headed by their shift Lieutenant Cedric Daniels. Herc and Carver get into trouble early on in the investigation when, along with Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski, they drunkenly charge into a Barksdale-controlled housing project and harass a group of youths. While there, Prez pistol whips one of the youths, blinding him in one eye and nearly inciting a riot. Herc is slightly injured during the incident when residents begin throwing bottles and firing at the officers, but returns early from his sick leave to take part in raids on Barksdale's operation. When young dealer Bodie Broadus punches detective Patrick Mahone during a raid, Herc, Carver and Greggs punish him with a beating. When Bodie later escapes from a juvenile detention center, Herc and Carver pursue and rearrest him; finding that he remains defiant they give him another beating. Even so, the three play pool together when they find themselves having to wait hours to hand Bodie over. Herc's character is also humanized somewhat when, in a failed attempt to arrest Bodie at his grandmother's house, he apologizes to her for his rough language and listens politely as she discusses Bodie's troubled past. When Herc and Carver intercept the Barksdale crew's profits for a day by tailing Wee-Bey Brice, Herc considers keeping some of the money, but Carver realizes that figures mentioned on the wiretap might leave them exposed. Some of the money still goes missing when the bag rips in their trunk. After Lieutenant Daniels confronts them about the missing money, Carver begins to suspect Herc has stolen it, until it is found in the spare-wheel well of the car. This also gets both of them on the wrong side of Daniels, who assumes they simply stole and then returned the money. Later, while raiding a drug stash in Pimlico, Herc and Carver do steal money for themselves.[1] With little study, Herc takes and passes the sergeant's exam, placing 18 on the list of ranked, passing officers. After celebrating he finds out that he will not in fact be promoted, likely because of past brutality allegations (none of which are confirmed, but all of which are true). Carver, however, who ranks 37, is promoted to Sergeant after acting

Herc Hauk as a spy in the detail on behalf of Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell.

135

Season 2
When the detail is disbanded, Herc moves back to Narcotics, investigating white East-Side dealers. Daniels brings Herc into Major Valchek's detail investigating Frank Sobotka, recognizing Herc's stomach for the tedium of surveillance work. At Herc's request, Daniels also brings Carver back but refuses to recognize his promotion; Greggs remains lead detective for the detail. Herc is again partnered with Carver and the two investigate drug dealing around the docks area. Herc plays the key undercover role, dealing with the mostly white drug dealers in the Polish docks neighborhood of Baltimore. The two use a high-priced listening device concealed within a tennis ball to gain information then, after the device is damaged, fabricate a confidential informant named "Fuzzy Dunlop" (an inside joke between them referencing the tennis ball's texture and manufacturer) and take payments meant for the informant to cover its cost. Through their surveillance, they are able to establish a link between Frank's nephew and the drug trade. Herc feels unappreciated, as he and Carver are constantly relied upon to do tedious leg work for the detail, even having to install an air conditioner in the home of a judge. After being left out in the rain waiting for a suspect who has already turned himself in, Herc convinces Carver they will never be respected in Daniels' unit, and they put in for a transfer.[2]

Season 3
Herc returns to Narcotics with Carver and works in the Western District under Major Colvin. Together they are responsible for running the district's Drug Enforcement Unit and commanding a squad of dedicated narcotics police including officers Kenneth Dozerman, Lloyd "Truck" Garrick, Lambert and Anthony Colicchio. The DEU squad is responsible for policing Colvin's unsanctioned free drug trade zone, nicknamed "Hamsterdam". Herc is critical of the Major's pet project and eventually leaks details of the zones to the Baltimore Sun. When the national media begins covering the story Hamsterdam is soon shut down and Major Colvin is forced to retire as a lieutenant.[3][4]

Season 4
Herc is working the security detail for Mayor Clarence Royce, when he stumbles across the mayor receiving felatio from his assistant in his office. Major Stanislaus Valchek advises Herc how to turn the mishap to his advantage and quickly make rank. The Mayor quickly surmises Herc's desire for promotion and demonstrates his willingness to help Herc's career in exchange for his discretion. Royce calls Burrell and demands that Herc be promoted to the first opening for sergeant. He receives the sergeant's post in the Major Crimes Unit under Lieutenant Charles Marimow, but soon loses his "rabbi" when Royce loses the Democratic mayoral primary. He and Marimow clash over methods, and Herc shows no respect for his leadership abilities. Herc takes a police camera to spy on Marlo Stanfield without Marimow or a court's approval. Stanfield's crew realize they are being filmed and give fake information (prompting Herc to detain an innocent woman) and then steal the camera. Herc attributes the fake information to the fictitious informant "Fuzzy Dunlop". While attempting to retrieve the camera, Herc interviews Randy Wagstaff, who has knowledge about the murder of Lex, one of Boadie Broadus's drug dealers. However, Herc later mistakenly reveals Randy's cooperation to the murder suspect, Little Kevin; this information gets back to Stanfield and results in Randy being labeled a "snitch", eventually leading to the injury of Randy's foster mother and Randy's placement in a group home. Still attempting to retrieve the camera, Herc pulls over Chris and Snoop and finds a nail gun which ultimately proves to be an important clue for Lester Freamon's investigation into the murders of Lex and Fruit.

Herc Hauk Greggs, now in Homicide and no longer in need of a drugs informant, puts Bubbles in touch with Herc, who believes he will be able to appease Marimow if he links Stanfield to a murder. Herc agrees to help Bubbles with his problems if in return he helps Herc find a witness to Fruit's murder. However, Herc repeatedly lets Bubbles down, and so, to get back at Herc, Bubbles provides him with bad information, leading him to arrest a church minister. Since the minister is African American and part of a politically-influential coalition, Herc is accused of harassment and racial profiling. The ministers apply pressure to newly-elected Mayor Tommy Carcetti, and Commissioner Burrell pushes the internal affairs division to look into Herc's wrongdoings with an eye toward finding a palatable excuse for discharging him. Herc is suspended with pay pending a full trial with the I.I.D. division.

136

Season 5
Herc is now working as an investigator for defense attorney Maurice Levy, who has previously represented the Barksdale Organization. Herc is able to provide Levy with information from his contacts inside the Baltimore Police Department, including Ellis Carver,[5] but he is irritated when Levy takes on Marlo Stanfield as a client. Herc meets Carver for drinks and admits feelings of remorse for some of his actions as a police officer.[6] He attempts to redeem himself by making a note of Stanfield's confidential phone number from Levy's Rolodex and handing it to Carver (who then passes it on to Lester Freamon). In the final episode, however, Herc tells Levy that a wiretap has probably been used in the Stanfield investigation a wiretap which Levy realizes must be illegal. This tip allows Levy to keep Marlo Stanfield out of prison. A grateful Levy tells Herc he has done well and invites him to dinner at his home, as Herc is now mishpochah (Hebrew for "family"). Herc congratulates Carver on his promotion to lieutenant. He is last seen in the end-of-season montage at the bar buying drinks for his former colleagues.

Production
Actor Domenick Lombardozzi speaks with the accent of his native South Bronx, which producers did not believe Lombardozzi would be able to convincingly hide and so did not ask him to try, planning a future explanation as to why the character was policing in Baltimore.[7] Ultimately, in the fifth season premiere episode, "More with Less", Herc mentions having come from the Bronx when he makes a reference to his hometown New York Yankees being historically more successful than the Baltimore Orioles.[5]

Reception
Salon described Herc and Carver as providing needed comic relief to the show and acting as a "bickering couple".[2]

References
[1] "HBO: The Wire: Episode Guide: Summary: Season 1: Episode 11" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season1/ episode11. shtml). HBO. . Retrieved 2008-07-02. [2] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [3] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] "Character profile - Detective "Herc" Hauk" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ herc_hauk. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-25. [5] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [6] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [7] David Simon, George Pelecanos (2004-12-10). The Wire - Cleaning Up (DVD audio commentary). HBO.

Roland Pryzbylewski

137

Roland Pryzbylewski
Roland Pryzbylewski
First appearance "The Detail" (episode 1.02) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Jim True-Frost Information Aliases Gender Occupation Prez, (Mister) Prezbo Male Police officer, public school teacher

Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jim True-Frost. Pryzbylewski is a Polish-American detective in the Baltimore Police Department. He is initially seen as incompetent and is not well-respected, but throughout the series he develops into a better police officer. He eventually leaves the Police Department and becomes a middle school math teacher.

Character background and plot relations

Prez has a well-known history of incompetence in the department; an oft-recounted incident involved him shooting up his own squad car in a panic and then calling in a false report. He has been bounced around various units, and is considered an inept detective. Because he is married to the daughter of career officer (and political force) Major Valchek, he is protected from being fired, despite their mutual animosity. Prior to the beginning of Season 1, Pryzbylewski had been working in the casualty division under Lieutenant Cantrell. Prez is portrayed as essentially being an intelligent and decent man, but unsuited to the often brutal realities of Baltimore police work. Despite eventually winning the respect of his colleagues in the Barksdale Detail through his code-breaking and paper-trail skills, he is never truly comfortable as a police officer. By contrast, he later becomes a dedicated and capable teacher.

Season 1
Prez is sent to Lieutenant Daniels' Barksdale detail because Deputy Commissioner Burrell allows the unit commanders to dump their most incompetent officers on Daniels. Upon arrival at the detail, he accidentally shoots a wall while showing off modifications to his gun. Daniels is appalled, but agrees to keep Prez if Cantrell will also give him Leander Sydnor, a well-regarded young detective. Later, Prez, Herc, and Carver drunkenly incite a near-riot at the Franklin Terrace Towers, and Prez pistol-whips a teenager with his service weapon, blinding him in one eye. Notably, even the brutality-prone duo of Herc and Carver think Prez's actions are uncalled for. Daniels stands up for his detective and protects him from serious repercussions by providing Prez with a suitable story to give to Internal Investigations; Prez is ultimately suspended from street duty, but Valchek is grateful to Daniels for helping Prez. Stuck in the office, Prez grows bored and begins playing with the Barksdale organization's pager codes, eventually breaking them and making a major contribution to the case. Under Freamon's mentorship, he discovers a gift for wiretap work and following the paper trail, eventually becoming a valuable member of the team.

Roland Pryzbylewski

138

Season 2
Prez confesses to his father-in-law that his earlier problems had largely been due to dissatisfaction with his traffic police work. He tells him that detailed case work had become his passion and that he wants to continue to work major cases. When Valchek starts feuding with Frank Sobotka, he requests a detail similar to the previous Barksdale detail. As in the previous case, Burrell gives him a team largely consisting of incompetent "humps". Prez is given minor authority within the detail, but Lieutenant Grayson will not follow his recommendations on how to proceed. Prez tells his father-in-law that the detail is making little progress, and Valchek, after seeing the unit at work, demands that Daniels is brought in as the unit commander, threatening to derail Burrell's bid to become police commissioner. When the focus of the investigation shifts away from Sobotka, Valchek angrily confronts the detail, berating Prez specifically. Prez stands up for their work and punches Valchek. With Prez facing charges of insubordination and assaulting a commanding officer, Daniels stands up for him a second time, pointing out that if there is an official inquiry the FBI agents present during the incident would affirm that Prez hit Valchek only after the latter had shoved and cursed at him. Valchek agrees that Prez can return to the detail following a written letter of apology and two months of working the midnight shift as a narcotics detective in his district.[1]

Season 3
Prez joins Daniels' newly formed Major Crimes Unit. When responding to a distress call, Prez fails to properly identify himself as an officer and fatally shoots a plain clothes officer in a case of night-time mistaken identity. He is brought up on administrative charges and suspended because the officer was African American, and the shooting is seen as being potentially racially motivated. Prez vehemently denies being a racist but due to the press and Baltimore's majority African American population, the story leaks out and prompts a hearing from both the courts and the Vanguard (Baltimore's African American police officer union). Prez is horrified at having killed another officer and quits the force despite Daniels, Caroline Massey and Lester Freamon (all of whom are African-American) agreeing to testify that they do not believe Prez to be a racist.

Season 4
Prez starts a new career as a math teacher at Edward Tilghman Middle School. As a teacher, he becomes attached to the students in his classroom, even going as far as to assist neglected student Duquan "Dukie" Weems with laundry and food that his family does not provide for him (they are known to sell his possessions for drug money). After Randy admits to knowing about Lex's murder, Prez passes the information on to Bunk. He later finds out that Randy has been labelled a snitch after Herc mishandles an interview with Randy and is disappointed with his friends at the precinct. Later, Prez discovers that Dukie is no longer attending high school and is working on the corner. Prez sees through the school system's flaws, but adapts well, and becomes a dedicated teacher who enjoys helping his students advance through class.

Season 5
Prez is only seen once in season 5, appearing in the series finale "30". He appears to have become a capable and well-respected teacher. When Duquan "Dukie" Weems visits him and asks for money, supposedly for payment of rent and to allow him to enroll in a GED program, but in reality to feed his new drug addiction, Prez agrees to give him the money, but tells Dukie that if he is lying their friendship is over. Prez drives off disappointed but not surprised when he sees Dukie is using the money to support his habit.

Roland Pryzbylewski

139

Origins
The character's code-breaking ability, and the season 1 pager code itself, are based on the Melvin Williams case investigated by Harry Edgerton and Ed Burns.[2] Prez's experiences as a teacher are based on those of Ed Burns, who became a Baltimore middle school teacher when he retired from the Police.

Miscellaneous
It is implied that the character has an affinity for the music of Johnny Cash, playing "I Walk the Line" while examining the work of the detail in "Storm Warnings" and "Ring of Fire" while cleaning his classroom in "Soft Eyes". The montage set to "I Walk the Line" is one of the few in the series, the show generally reserving the convention for closure at the end of its seasons.

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books.

Ellis Carver

140

Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Seth Gilliam Information Occupation Title Baltimore Police Sergeant/Lieutenant Sergeant/Lieutenant

Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is an African American lieutenant[1] and formerly in command of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit. He is a dedicated officer, unfailingly loyal to his partner Thomas "Herc" Hauk, but in the earlier seasons was prone to irresponsible and unprofessional behavior. He enjoyed the adrenaline rush of physical policing and was not above cutting ethical corners to get ahead. However, over the course of the series, he matured and became an upstanding officer, sometimes drawing the ire of his Western District colleagues.

Biography
Season 1
Carver was a narcotics detective under Major Foerster in season one; he joined the Barksdale detail along with his colleagues from narcotics, detectives Kima Greggs and Thomas "Herc" Hauk. Cedric Daniels, his shift lieutenant from narcotics, was assigned to command the detail. Carver tells Bodie Broadus in season one, episode five ('the pager'), that he was brought up on the Flag House Courts project. Herc and Carver typically worked as a pair. They were intimidated by Greggs' ability and annoyed at her superior attitude towards them. They got into trouble early on in the investigation when they drunkenly raided a Barksdale-controlled high rise tower and nearly incited a riot. They had convinced the erratic Detective Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski to accompany them and he exacerbated the situation by pistol-whipping a teenaged drug dealer. Daniels was exasperated with his detectives' immaturity and lack of forethought, but protected them from serious punishment. The narcotics detectives took part in raids on Barksdale's low-rise projects. When one of the young dealers, Bodie Broadus, punched Detective Patrick Mahon, Carver, Herc and Greggs punished him with a beating on the spot. Carver and Herc were later given the task of travelling to Bodie's juvenile detention centre to try to convince him to become an informant; Carver was optimistic about their chances. Finding that he had absconded, they raided his home, finding only his grandmother. Herc later spotted Bodie in the low-rise projects while on surveillance and arrested him along with Carver. Finding that he remained defiant the detectives gave him another beating. Later, waiting to hand him over their attitude softened the three shared a game of pool. Bodie was released from juvenile detention following the intervention of the Barksdale crew's lawyer. Unaware of this Carver and Herc angrily picked him up the next time they saw him, but after finding that he had been legitimately released they gave him a lift home. When they intercepted the Barksdale crew's profits for a day by tailing Wee-Bey Brice, Herc considered keeping some of the money, but Carver realized that figures mentioned on the wiretap might leave them exposed. Some of

Ellis Carver the money went missing by accident, which led Carver to doubt Herc until he found the money in the spare-wheel well of their car. This also got both of them on the wrong side of Lt. Daniels. Otherwise, Carver and Herc were useful in performing tedious but essential surveillance work for the detail. Carver took his sergeant's exam and passed while in the detail. Although Herc scored better on the exam, Carver was placed ahead of him on the promotion list because Carver had been relaying information about the detail's activities to Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell. Daniels eventually realized that Carver was acting as Burrell's spy in the detail, and cautioned Carver not to repeat the mistakes Daniels made earlier in his own career.

141

Season 2
When the detail was disbanded Carver was moved to the South Eastern district where he worked as a traffic sergeant under Major Stanislaus Valchek. His dissatisfaction with the post was apparent when Valchek assigned him to ticket dock workers' vehicles and he openly voiced his opinions of his commander to Frank Sobotka. Daniels brought Carver back into his detail when investigating Frank Sobotka, telling Carver that since he had been caught going outside the chain of command before, it was unlikely that he would try something similar again. Daniels' only condition was that Carver would not be treated as a sergeant in the detail, as he felt that Carver had not earned his promotion and would instead report to Detectives Greggs. Carver was again partnered with Herc and the two investigated drug dealing around the docks area. They fabricated a confidential informant, actually using a listening device, and took payments meant for the informant to cover the cost. However, they did establish a link between Nick Sobotka and drug trade near the docks. They were again relied upon to do the leg work for the detail and were instrumental in placing satellite tracking devices on vehicles involved in the dock smuggling ring. Their low status in the detail was brought home to them when they were asked to install an air conditioner in the home of a judge who was approving the detail's wiretaps. After being left out in the rain waiting for Nick Sobotka to return home, despite his having already turned himself in, Herc convinced Carver they would never be respected in Daniels' unit. Angered by the menial work given to him, Carver told Daniels that he wished to leave the unit. Daniels attempted to convince him to stay, pointing out that surveillance was part of the job. However, Carver left the unit and took a DEU (Drug Enforcement Unit) sergeant posting in the Western District for Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin, where his rank was recognized and he could engage in more "rip and run". Herc then followed Carver as he had no interest in doing menial surveillance work for Daniels.[2]

Season 3
Carver returned to narcotics with Herc and worked in the Western District under Major Colvin. Carver commanded the district's Drugs Enforcement Unit a squad of dedicated narcotics police including Herc and Officers Kenneth Dozerman, Lloyd "Truck" Garris and Anthony Colicchio. He failed to learn a valuable lesson from his work with Det. Greggs a police officer is only as good as their informants as he failed to secure any CIs for his unit and had none to present to Major Colvin. Officer Dozerman was shot and injured while under Carver's command in a failed buy-bust sting operation. Carver was responsible for policing "Hamsterdam", Colvin's unsanctioned free drug trade zone. He was distressed by the consequences of the new zone putting young hoppers out of work. Carver's solution was to tax the drug dealers, providing an informal "welfare" system for the unemployed hoppers. With Dennis "Cutty" Wise, a (now reformed) former soldier in Avon Barksdale's crew, he helped divert the young hoppers into boxing and basketball programs that were having some success until the "Hamsterdam" project was shut down. After this Carver and Wise held a mutual respect for each other having worked together with these children. Over the season, Carver's DEU team were shown to be making statistically-motivated arrests rather than performing real police work and building serious cases. Early in the season, Carver is criticized by Major Crimes Unit detectives Kima Greggs and Jimmy McNulty for his lack of informants, and when asked by Colvin for descriptions of gang

Ellis Carver members and mid-level drug dealers, Carver is unable to provide any information. Before his forced retirement Colvin criticized Carver's work as an investigator and told him he was not doing his job properly. He urged Carver to get to know the area he was policing rather than treating it as hostile territory in a war zone. Colvin felt that this was one of the reasons behind Dozerman's shooting and then claimed that Carver's stat-based arrests were of little use to the district without adequate information about what was really going on in the neighborhood.[3]

142

Season 4
Carver maintained his position as DEU Sergeant but "turned over a new leaf" in light of Major Colvin's advice. He began cultivating street-level informants and amassing a working knowledge of the drug dealers in his district. When Prez asks that a police officer be sent to Randy's house confidentially, Daniels, Colvin's replacement as Western District commander, elects to send Carver, telling the surprised Prez that "Ellis has come a long way." In particular, he targets Bodie Broadus as a potential informant because he is now working independently after the collapse of the Barksdale organization in Season 3. Carver is on relatively good terms with Bodie, as his first line in the season is "Where's the love, Bodie?" The two have a running joke of addressing each other formally. Officer Colichio, however, is entirely unable to see the funny side, although Carver points out he can't go round beating the entire world up "cause who are you gonna talk to when the shit happens?". Carver helps Herc when he has a problem that is political in nature by putting him in touch with the politically-savvy Valchek. Carver also tries to help Bunk Moreland find a suspect in the murder of Fruit. The suspect is Bodie's second-in-command, Curtis "Lex" Anderson, and Carver knows which corner he works. However, Lex has not been seen for some time. Carver spots a group of children from his district with a stolen car and rather than chasing them on foot he is taking Herc, dressed in suit and tie for mayoral protection duty, to see Valchek he calls in the theft and elects to find the children later, as he knows where they hang out. When he returns he gives them a warning, telling them that he knows their names and addresses and if he learns that they are involved with stolen cars again he will arrange alleyway beatings for each of them. Donut waits until Carver has left before commenting on his "nice wheels". He had a plainclothes car put outside Randy Wagstaff's house when neighborhood kids start harassing him after he is labelled as a snitch. However, when the car leaves to respond to a call, his house is attacked with petrol bombs and Randy's foster mother is severely burned to the point of being unable to care for Randy. Carver is concerned for Randy, even offering to be Randy's foster parent when it becomes apparent that he will be sent to a group home. His offer is rejected due to the lengthy screening process involved, and after dropping Randy off at his group home, Carver angrily beats on his car horn, frustrated that he could not have done more. [4]

Season 5
Carver is acting as Western District SIC (Sergeant in Charge) - he has the responsibilities of the district's deputy major for most shifts. The district's officers are outraged by the city's financial cutbacks and their morale is at rock bottom. Carver faces dissent and abuse in his roll-call briefing and is told there is no point breaking up a fight between officers that occurs in the parking lot. Carver meets up with his old partner Thomas "Herc" Hauk, Kenneth Dozerman and Anthony Colicchio for drinks. Herc has been discharged from the department and is now working as a Private Investigator for defense attorney Maurice Levy. Herc has the detectives get information from within the department for him.[5][6] Colicchio is later involved in an assault on a teacher. Carver, having witnessed the event and seeing that Colicchio acted irrationally, offers to help Colicchio prepare a statement for the subsequent Internal Investigations Division case but finds Colicchio completely unrepentant. He decides that he cannot allow Colicchio's behavior to continue and writes Colicchio up for charges of conduct unbecoming an officer. Colicchio calls Carver a "rat" but Carver is willing to accept the resentment of his subordinate officers. Later, over drinks, Herc tries to plead leniency for Colicchio. Carver explains his philosophy that all of their actions as police officers matter and reminds Herc of some of their mistakes. Carver specifically mentions Herc's actions with Randy Wagstaff. Herc accepts responsibility and

Ellis Carver tells Carver to do what he feels he has to.[7] Carver is later seen assisting Jimmy McNulty in finding the "homeless killer." McNulty has Carver instead investigate Marlo Stanfield's drug organization under the overtime detail of the "homeless killer." Carver's officers are shown using new rental vehicles and following Lester Freamon's lead in finding the source of drug distribution amongst Stanfield crew members. When Kima Greggs questions Carver about the "homeless killer", he claims that he is happy to see his officers doing real police work and getting paid overtime for it. This is shared by his men, who are noticeably buoyed up by the news of some "rented wheels." At the end of the series, Commissioner Daniels, in one of his last acts as a police officer, promotes Carver to Lieutenant, saying "I'm glad I got to do this at least." Carver's development in the series and his ending draws comparison's to Daniel's; both men had skimmed drug money early in their career, both had matured from these experiences over time and both eventually climbed the police ranks as respected, hard-working and honest policemen, with Carver representing the next generation of this dwindling type of officer.

143

Reception
Salon described Carver and Herc as providing needed comic relief to the show and acting as a bickering couple.[2]

References
[1] David Simon; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-03-09). "30". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [2] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [3] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] "Character profile - Sergeant Ellis Carver" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ellis_carver. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [5] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Leander Sydnor

144

Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor
First appearance "The Detail" (episode 1.02) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Corey Parker Robinson Information Gender Occupation Title Male Detective in the Baltimore police department's major crimes unit Detective

Leander Sydnor is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Corey Parker Robinson. Sydnor is a young, married Baltimore Police detective who was a member of the Barksdale detail and later worked in the Major Crimes Unit.

Biography
Season 1
Sydnor was assigned to the Barksdale detail from the Auto Theft Department after Lieutenant Daniels requested Sydnor's commanding officer, Lt. Cantrell, give him his best detective to balance out having to take "his worst" the erratic Detective Pryzbylewski. Once in the detail, he was partnered with Detective Lester Freamon and the pair looked into the Barksdale organization's paper trail. Sydnor also performed valuable undercover work, making hand-to-hand buys to build evidence, alongside Detective Kima Greggs and her informant Bubbles. Bubbles helped Sydnor with the credibility of his undercover "junkie" image, recommending subtle but important changes such as not wearing his wedding band ("you're married to the needle now") and walking on empty drug vials so that the shards stuck in the soles of his shoes. Sydnor was also responsible for identifying Avon Barksdale at the annual West-Side versus East-Side basketball game. He later told Freamon, who had become something of a mentor to the young detective, that the Barksdale investigation was the best police work he had ever done.

Season 3
Sydnor returned to working in his old district after the dissolution of the Barksdale detail. When Daniels established a permanent Major Case Unit he was allowed to choose his own detectives and encouraged Sydnor to transfer in. Sydnor took up the offer and again worked on investigating the Barksdale organization.[1]

Season 4
In Season 4, the Major Case Unit was investigating Marlo Stanfield in addition to the Barksdale money trail. With Cedric Daniels promoted to Major, Lester Freamon was the de facto commander of the unit, having been allowed to hand-pick their shift lieutenant Jimmy Asher, a soon-to-retire officer who took an entirely hands-off approach to the unit's investigations. When the money trail led investigation to major political figures, Sydnor worried about the potential damage to his career; nonetheless, he personally delivered a subpoena for financial records to State Senator Clayton "Clay" Davis.[2]

Leander Sydnor Senator Davis angrily protested the subpoenas to Mayor Clarence Royce, who then ordered Commissioner Burrell to rein in the Major Crimes Unit. Deputy Commissioner William Rawls suggested that proper supervision was all the unit needed and replaced Lieutenant Asher with Lieutenant Marimow. Marimow is a caustic commander with a reputation for being a "unit killer". Marimow's command style drove away Freamon and Greggs leaving only Sydnor and Massey. Sydnor decided to leave the unit at the first available opening. With the transfer of Sergeant Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Officer Kenneth Dozerman into the unit Sydnor found two allies in his desire to make cases (and who shared his dislike of Marimow), but ultimately the unit was unsuccessful at building a case against Stanfield under Marimow's supervision. Over the course of the season, Sydnor mentored Dozerman, and also cautioned Herc on the consequences of lying to Marimow but Herc nevertheless continued to act in an unprofessional and often counterproductive manner while in the unit. The unit was eventually reconstituted under the control of Freamon after Daniels was promoted to CID colonel. Under Freamon's leadership, Asher was named Lieutenant again, and Jimmy McNulty and Kima Greggs transferred back into the unit. Dozerman remained with the unit while Herc was suspended pending an internal investigations division investigation. As the season ended, a new investigative strategy was mapped out against Marlo Stanfield.

145

Season 5
After more than a year of investigation into the Stanfield Organization the unit still did not have a strong enough case to file charges. When budget cuts in the department eventually led to the unit being closed down, Sydnor was disappointed to find his work wasted and realized that simply keeping Stanfield under surveillance was effective in reducing crime. Sydnor and Lester Freamon were detailed to the State's Attorney's office to prepare the corruption case against Clay Davis.[3][4] Sydnor and Freamon first prepared the paperwork on Davis and then assisted Rhonda Pearlman in a series of Grand Jury depositions.[5][6][7][8] Sydnor uncovers evidence of Davis having committed a federal crime when he finds that Davis borrowed money from his mother for a mortgage deposit. Freamon realizes the significance of the crime and knows that it could mean a thirty-year jail term. The detectives present the evidence to State's Attorney Rupert Bond and he refuses to take the case federal as he wants to prosecute Davis himself for political reasons.[9] In the series finale, Sydnor visits Judge Daniel Phelan in his chambers to apply back-channel pressure in order to advance an investigation, much like McNulty did in Season 1.

References
[1] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [2] "Character profile - Detective Leander Sydnor" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ leander_sydnor. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Beadie Russell

146

Beadie Russell
Beatrice Russell
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Amy Ryan Information Aliases Gender Occupation Spouse(s) Beadie Female Port Authority police officer Divorced Jimmy McNulty (boyfriend) Jack (son) Cary (daughter)

Children

Beatrice "Beadie" Russell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Amy Ryan. She was featured prominently in the second season, after she discovered thirteen corpses in a container on the Baltimore docks.

Character storyline
Russell started working as a port authority officer because she needed the pay to support her two young children after her husband abandoned them. She found the job unchallenging and spent most of her time patrolling the docks and checking shipping manifests. She developed a friendly working relationship with many of the stevedores, including Frank Sobotka.

Season 2
In season two, Russell notices a broken customs seal on a container while on patrol and searches the container, finding a hidden compartment filled with thirteen dead bodies. She is briefly the primary investigator until Officer Jimmy McNulty intervened (for his own reasons), getting the case reassigned to the city Homicide Unit. Russell is subsequently detailed to Homicide to aid in the investigation. Initially she shows her lack of experience and street knowledge, but she develops some latent talent for police work while working alongside veteran homicide detectives Bunk Moreland and Lester Freamon. Russell moves into Lieutenant Daniels' detail after he agrees to investigate the bodies, where she soon fends off an awkward advance from Herc. Her home life makes it difficult for her to work the long hours necessary for the investigation, but she perseveres. She connects with detective Kima Greggs while discussing the balance of a mother's responsibilities and the dangers inherent in their work, and enjoys flirting with McNulty both during work and while drinking after hours. McNulty visits Beadie's house one night, but he feels uncomfortable with the presence of family photos and children's toys, and leaves before a more intimate relationship develops. Russell's familiarity with the people and organization of the port proves invaluable to the investigation. She taps Maui, an old boyfriend in Frank Sobotka's union, to find out more about illegal activity in the port. Although Maui does not directly give her any information, his suggestion that all the information the Police need is on the port's computer leads the detail to clone the port's container traffic computer system, allowing them to monitor all traffic on

Beadie Russell and off of ships. When a suspicious Sobotka sends out a truck carrying normal goods to test the waters, Russell inadvertently tips the investigation's hand by having her colleagues in the port authority stop it. Frank later checks with other port officers who tell him she is still working with the detail, contrary to what she previously told him, and confirming his suspicions that he is being investigated. Despite these mis-steps, Russell gains the respect of the officers in the Sobotka detail. At the end of their investigation, when the focus shifts past Sobotka, Russell is entrusted with following Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos to a key meeting with The Greek. She comes through, delivering the location of the meeting, and enables the surveillance crew to get a photograph of Vondas and his lawyer. Russell is able to convince Frank Sobotka to inform on The Greek once a strong case is built against him. Her emotional offer of a deal has Frank ready to give up everything he knows in order to help his family. However, Frank is murdered before he can make an official statement and the Sobotka case is forced to end prematurely. With several arrests made and the murder of the girls solved, Beadie returns to her work at the Port.

147

Season 3 / Season 4
In Season three, McNulty is reminded of Russell and, feeling his life is missing something, he reinitiates their relationship and returns to beat police work. By season four, the two are living together and McNulty has overcome many of his personal demons (which he credits to Beadie's influence). Beadie's children Jack and Cary have become fond of McNulty, even referring to him as just "McNulty". Beadie has now dyed her hair blonde.

Season 5
By the first episode of season 5, Jimmy McNulty is lying about late nights at work to cover his drinking and womanising. Despite leaving him briefly, the two are reconciled by the end of the season: she is last seen sitting with McNulty on her doorstep watching the moon, with her head on his shoulder.

References

Cedric Daniels

148

Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Lance Reddick Information Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Male Attorney at Law; Former Baltimore PD Deputy Commissioner for Operations (retired) Deputy of Operations Marla Daniels (separated wife), Rhonda Pearlman (girlfriend)

Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Lance Reddick. He is a well regarded officer in the department whose focus is on good police work and quality arrests. He tends to have disagreements with some of the higher ranking officers at times but for the most part pulls through, completing the task at hand, gaining both a good reputation as a commander and investigator within the department. Daniels has been investigated by the FBI for corruption, and was found to have "a couple hundred thousand [dollars] more in liquid assets than any police Lieutenant should ever have". By the end of the series he rose through the ranks to commissioner but he resigned due to Baltimore politics. He ends the series working as a lawyer.

Biography
Season 1
Daniels was a narcotics lieutenant in season one and shift commander for Detectives Kima Greggs, Ellis Carver and Thomas "Herc" Hauk. Daniels' commanding officer was Major Raymond Foerster. When Detective McNulty prompted Judge Phelan to start asking questions about the Barksdale drug dealing organization, Major Foerster came to Daniels for more information. He wasn't able to offer much as the narcotics division were unaware of Barksdale. He had Greggs write a report and, soon after, Daniels was given command of the Barksdale Detail. He nominated Greggs as lead detective and described her as the best he had to Foerster. He met with Deputy Commissioner Burrell who told him the case should be made with buy busts in a fast, straightforward investigation. Daniels discussed his new assignment with his ambitious wife, Marla. They worried that it might slow his progression and he promised that he would run the investigation the way that his superior wanted. Marla's own ambitions drove her to pursue a career in politics and Daniels attended political fundraisers with his wife. At one such function he found himself hiding with the politicians' drivers in the kitchen. There, he met Senator Clay Davis' driver Day-Day, who the police later discovered to be a bag man involved with Baltimore's drug trade. Daniels has a difficult relationship with the insubordinate McNulty that began at their first meeting. Foerster and Burrell both warned Daniels that McNulty was responsible for Phelan's sudden interest. For his part, McNulty was warned by his partner Bunk Moreland that Daniels was a career officer and next in line for his own district as soon as a position with a Major's rank opened up. McNulty's FBI contact also alerted him that Daniels had several hundred thousand dollars of questionable liquid assets; it is later implied that these were picked up during Daniels' tenure in the poorly-supervised Eastern district. Daniels initially tried to follow Burrell's advice that the operation

Cedric Daniels should be fast and simple. He shot down McNulty's suggestions of a surveillance operation at their first meeting. Daniels also had difficulties with several other detectives on the detail. He was initially assigned detectives that other districts wanted to remove. Augustus Polk, Patrick Mahon and Lester Freamon appeared to be aging detectives happy to see out their careers. Mahone was injured in a raid and took early retirement; following this, his partner Polk took to drinking more heavily and missed several days' work. Daniels insisted that Polk either clean himself up or sign off sick; Polk opted for the latter. Freamon was a different story and proved to be quietly capable and a huge asset to Daniels's detail. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski was a trigger happy detective who had once shot up his own patrol car before he was assigned to Daniels's detail. Daniels was able to convince Prez's commanding officer, Lieutenant Cantrell, to balance taking the difficult officer out of his hands by assigning him Leander Sydnor, a promising young detective. Prez continued his self-destructive behaviour, attending an unsanctioned, drunken late-night raid on the Barksdale tower operations with Daniels' long standing men Herc and Carver. Prez injured a young boy and Daniels was left to deal with the consequences. He stood by Prez despite his history of problems and defended him to his superiors. In the process he gained the respect of Prez's father-in-law, Major Valchek. Under Daniels's supervision and Freamon's tutelage Prez developed into an effective investigator. Sydnor was also a valuable asset to the Daniels detail, performing undercover work and gelling well with the dependable Freamon. Herc and Carver continued to be problematic for Daniels. He suspected them of stealing seized money when the cash they turned into evidence did not match a reported amount. He remained loyal to his men, leniently giving them one day to return it rather than turning them in immediately. As the investigation progressed, Daniels's attitude towards the case changed. He risked his career several times in order to protect the case. When Major Rawls wanted to issue a murder warrant for D'Angelo Barksdale based on flimsy evidence, the Barksdale detail was dismayed, since arresting D'Angelo would tip off Avon to the investigation. McNulty and Greggs pleaded with Daniels to fight for their case. Daniels appealed to Rawls and then to Foerster to hold off on arresting D'Angelo, without success. Finally Daniels bypassed the chain of command and met directly with Burrell and an angry Rawls. After a heated argument, Daniels managed to persuade the deputy commissioner to delay the warrants. Later Freamon began to investigate Barksdale's money trail and found campaign contributions to Baltimore political figures. Daniels's team arrested his acquaintance, Day-Day, the senator's driver, collecting cash from the Barksdale crew. Rather than seizing the money, Daniels's superiors forced him to return the money with no further investigation to avoid raising the senator's ire. When Burrell, in order to shut the case down, threatened to reveal the source of Daniels's liquid assets, Daniels responded by calling Burrell's bluff, pointing out the Deputy's fear of the bad press that would result in Daniels's past misdeeds coming to light. Burrell used Detective Carver to provide him with inside information. Daniels recognised Carver's betrayal. Over the course of the investigation, Daniels worked closely with Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman. She was instrumental in using her judicial connections to provide Daniels with the warrants and affidavits needed for his teams surveillance efforts. The Barksdale investigation ended with the arrest of leader Avon Barksdale and his nephew D'Angelo along with soldier Wee-Bey Brice and several other members of the organization. Convictions were secured against all three and Wee-Bey confessed to several unsolved homicides to prevent fallout reaching other members of the organization. The result was unsatisfying for Daniels because Avon Barksdale's conviction was for minor offences and second-in-command Stringer Bell escaped uncharged to continue the organization's drug trade. Much better results were within Daniels's grasp when his team convinced D'Angelo to testify against the Barksdale organization. However, D'Angelo's mother Brianna talked him out of this course and he ended up taking a twenty-year sentence for his family. Daniels's work on the Barksdale case certainly hurt his career; at the end of the first season, he is seen exchanging pleasantries with a newly-minted major, a position that he had been on the fast track for. However, he has won the

149

Cedric Daniels respect of his unit for a dedication to their cases, which surpasses that of their other commanding officers.

150

Season 2
Daniels was reassigned to the evidence division following the dissolution of the Barksdale detail. He was given the post as punishment for defying Burrell, despite the investigation producing several arrests. Trapped in what seemed to be a dead-end job, Daniels planned to leave the department and become a lawyer. He was given a second chance when Major Valchek insisted (on Prez's recommendation) that Daniels be given command of a special detail he had requested to investigate union leader Frank Sobotka. Daniels realized Valchek had asked for him personally in exchange for offering Burrell political support and used this fact to leverage several promises from Burrell. Daniels stood his ground even though Burrell had the DEA file on Daniels's unexplained income. Daniels later confided to his wife that Burrell "knew," confirming that the allegations against Daniels were correct. Daniels insisted on picking his own detectives this time and forced Burrell to agree that if the investigation was successful then Daniels would become commander of a permanent unit. Daniels's detail initially consisted of Prez, Greggs and Herc. Rhonda Pearlman again acted as Daniels's courthouse liaison. Daniels allowed Carver the chance to rejoin the team despite his previous treachery. Daniels told Carver he believed that after his previous actions Carver would be the last to betray him again, but insisted that Carver's promotion to sergeant would be in name only as he felt he had not earned his stripes. Daniels campaigned for McNulty to rejoin the team but was denied by a vengeful Colonel Rawls, McNulty's old commander. Daniels did convince Rawls to let him have Freamon, who had been assigned to homicide after the Barksdale detail. Sydnor had returned to his district and could not be detailed. Daniels's detail worked closely with Bunk Moreland who was investigating multiple homicides at the docks and Officer Beatrice Russell, who was detailed to Bunk's investigation from the Port Authority. Russell blossomed into a capable investigator with Daniels's team and was instrumental in coming up with the idea of cloning the ports computers to monitor smuggling. Daniels finally persuaded Rawls to let McNulty return by agreeing to take on Rawls's murders from the docks. In the meanwhile, Daniels began to have personal difficulties with wife due to his career decisions. Eventually, they began to sleep in different rooms of their home. The investigation progressed and the detail linked Sobotka's union to a smuggling operation run by a mysterious figure called "The Greek", Sobotka's nephew Nick was proven to be involved in drug dealing and Sobtoka's son Ziggy was arrested for a homicide during the investigation. Ziggy killed George "Double G" Glekas in a warehouse involved in the Greek's smuggling. Daniels's detail was not informed of Ziggy's arrest and this gave The Greeks time to clear out the warehouse. Valchek became disillusioned with Daniels when he learned that the focus was shifting away from Sobotka onto "The Greek" and he involved the FBI. Valchek insulted the detail and Prez in a heated meeting and Daniels was forced to once again defend Prez after he punched Valchek. Daniels quickly collected statements from all the officers and agents present and successfully convinced Valchek it would be best to accept an apology from Prez. With the wealth of evidence collected against Sobotka, he was arrested along with several other people identified by the team. The warrant for Double G revealed his empty shop and warehouse with all evidence disposed of. Daniels's people noticed the bloodstain from the shooting and he went to violent crimes to find out what had happened. Daniels was enraged that Sergeant Landsman had not realized the significance of the murder and told him of Ziggy's arrest. With several of Sobotka's family in jeopardy, Daniels's team convinced him to act as an informant on "The Greek" and arranged for him to return with a lawyer the next day. Sobotka was murdered before the detail could take his testimony. "The Greek" himself escaped before the detail could locate him. The investigation was disappointing for the detail but seemed a tremendous success for the department. Bunk and Freamon secured evidence that solved the homicides, but the suspect was already dead, so no conviction was made. Several prominent East-side drug figures were arrested, including "White" Mike McArdle, along with some of The Greek's men including Sergei "Serge" Malatov and Eton Ben-Eleazer. Daniels was seen to have delivered on his promises and was once more in

Cedric Daniels the department's good books.[1]

151

Season 3
Daniels's success in the Sobotka investigation meant that Burrell had to honor his promise to let Daniels form a permanent Major Case Unit. His Unit initially consisted of Detectives McNulty, Greggs, Freamon, Sydnor and a new officer named Caroline Massey. The detail returned to investigating the Barksdale organization and their association with Proposition Joe, an East Side drug kingpin with links to "The Greek" from the Sobotka investigation. Daniels separated from his wife, Marla, partly because of her dissatisfaction at his failure to progress in the Police Department. He found that her attempt to enter politics after their separation further hindered his climb through the ranks, as she was running in opposition to a close ally of the mayor's. Nonetheless, he continued to support her through her political career, attending functions in uniform and acting the part of a devoted husband. After his separation from his wife, Daniels briefly was living in the detail office, then, after moving into a bachelor apartment, started a relationship with Rhonda Pearlman. Cedric remained skeptical about making the relationship between him and Pearlman public as he is still appearing as Marla's husband in order to help promote her bid for city council. Daniels claims that it will look bad for Marla's political career for him to be seen separated from her with a white woman. Throughout the season, he was commended several times throughout the department due to his good police work. He was commended by Stanislaus Valchek, Deputy Rawls, Major Colvin, and even Commissioner Burrell amongst other commanding officers. This, however, was not enough for Daniels, whose promotion to major was supposedly delayed due to his wife's political conflicts. Daniels also felt that Burrell was purposefully holding him back due to past incidents. Daniels became even more angered when the Major Case targets were changed courtesy of McNulty, who went around the chain of command to retarget Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale. This earned McNulty Daniels's wrath as he then told McNulty to find another unit to work in following the arrest of Bell. At the end of season three, Bell died but Barksdale was arrested courtesy of Major Colvin, who was then forced to retire from the department due to his "Hamsterdam" experiment. Following Barksdale's arrest, he was finally promoted to major when the fallout over Colvin's "Hamsterdam" zone caused the Mayor to throw his support behind Marla. Daniels was hence given the Western District which was previously commanded by Colvin.[2][3]

Season 4
In an interview, Lance Reddick described the direction his character would take in the fourth season. He stated that his promotion would give him the added responsibility of a district to command, less dealings with the day to day running of the Major Case Unit, friction with the unit's replacement lieutenant, and the difficulties of being more open about his relationship with Rhonda Pearlman.[4] Daniels was given the post of Western district commander with Dennis Mello acting as his administrative lieutenant. Lieutenant Asher replaced him as commander of the major case unit even though Lester Freamon was the unit's true leader. Daniels hoped to convince McNulty into returning to detective work but had little success. At the same time, Daniels realized that on a personal level, McNulty was better off in patrol. Kima Greggs meets with Daniels to discuss a transfer after Lieutenant Charlie Marimow takes over major crimes. Daniels suggest a move to homicide, and successfully meets with Deputy Commissioner William Rawls to facilitate the transfer. After finding out that his student Randy Wagstaff knows information about Curtis Lex Anderson's murder, Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (now a schoolteacher) meets with Daniels. Daniels suggests Ellis Carver as the person Prez should consult about the matter. Daniels questions Prezs interest and Prez tells him he cares about Randy because he is one of his students. Following the mayoral election, Daniels attends a COMSTAT meeting chaired by Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Deputy Rawls. He tells his commanders that the homicide rate has dropped while other felony rates have risen.

Cedric Daniels Primary victor Carcetti arrives to observe the meeting, later discussing the possibility of removing Burrell from commissioner, and possibly replacing him. However, he is warned that he would not be able to due to racial issues. In the meeting, Carcetti observes that Daniels is more interested in quality felony arrests than statistical reductions on crime. Carcetti next encounters Daniels while riding along with some Baltimore police officers who are called to a shooting. Daniels is the duty officer and is proficient in controlling the crime scene. Carcetti is impressed and learns from his accompanying officers that Daniels is more respected than most other commanding officers in the department. Carcetti invites Daniels to lunch and offers him a promotion to Colonel commanding the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) under Rawls. Daniels was officially promoted at the same ceremony as Major Stanislaus Valchek. Commissioner Burrell, becoming suspicious of the recent change of rank in the department, starts wondering about his future. Burrell is especially worried about Daniels's promotion because he realizes Mayor Carcetti wants to fire him but needs an African American replacement in a majority-black city like Baltimore to do so. As Daniels suddenly rose in rank in going from Shift Lieutenant to CID colonel in just over one year, earned the mayor's favor through his policing strategies, and is African-American, Burrell sees Daniels as Carcetti's in-house choice of replacement. State Senator Clay Davis and Burrell are both wary of Daniels and convince the city council president Nerese Campbell that he is not a good candidate for police commissioner. They tell Campbell that he cares more about serving Carcetti than the city's African American community and that he is less the saint he pretends to be. This implies that Burrell is willing to revisit the excessive income charges from Daniels's days in the Eastern District's Drug Enforcement Unit to prevent Daniels from getting his chair as commissioner. As CID colonel, Daniels clears Detective Hauk of a racial profiling incident and then assists Lester Freamon in building a case against the Stanfield Organization. Freamon discovers evidence of dead bodies in abandoned row houses and asks Daniels for more manpower for a citywide search. Daniels gives Freamon more patrolmen and the city's homicide rate increases dramatically with the discovery of 22 concealed bodies killed by the Stanfield Organization. During this time, it is pointed out to Rawls by Valchek that Daniels is likely to become the department's next commissioner. Daniels transfers McNulty back into the major crimes unit from Western patrol. The unit is targeting Marlo Stanfield. As the season ends, Deputy Rawls believes that Daniels will be moved up the ladder even further while Commissioner Burrell and Senator Davis conspire to keep Daniels from getting the commissioner's post.

152

Season 5
Daniels is outraged when Mayor Tommy Carcetti decides to close the major crimes unit due to budgetary problems after over a year of investigative work into the vacant house murders, the Stanfield Organization and corruption linked to Senator Clay Davis. He discusses it with his domestic partner, Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman, and they approach State's Attorney Rupert Bond together. Bond and Daniels arrange a meeting with Carcetti to appeal the decision but Carcetti has little time for them. Bond is able to convince Carcetti to allow a two-man detail for the Davis case. Daniels is outraged that the corruption charge has been given priority over the murders, saying "So one thieving politician trumps 22 dead bodies. Good to know." Daniels reluctantly reassigns Kima Greggs and Jimmy McNulty to homicide and keeps Lester Freamon and Leander Sydnor for the Davis detail.[5][6] Carcetti finally accrues the political capital he needs to fire Commissioner Ervin Burrell when Burrell delivers false crime statistics to Carcetti. Carcetti plans to fire Burrell and temporarily promote Rawls to acting commissioner with Daniels serving as Deputy Commissioner of Operations to prepare him to take over as commissioner. Carcetti leaks the story to The Baltimore Sun to gauge reaction to Daniels. The story runs with a quote invented by Scott Templeton and attributed to a city hall source. The quote falsely implicates Daniels in causing Burrell's departure.[7][8]

Cedric Daniels Daniels discusses the story with Pearlman and while she is ecstatic he is concerned about Templetons quote. Daniels meets with his ex-wife Marla to discuss Burrells potential reaction to the story. They are both worried that Burrell will reveal evidence of corruption from Danielss past. Marla suggests that Burrell will use what he knows about Daniels to try to retain his position as commissioner. Marla suggests that Daniels approach Burrell and promise not to take the commissioner post. Daniels thinks that Burrell might not have any more than assets investigations but Marla reminds him that his past has already cost their marriage, which was a high enough price, and that rumor will be enough to prevent him from becoming commissioner.[7][8] Daniels approaches Burrell to plead his innocence but is met with the silent treatment. City Council President Nerese Campbell convinces Burrell to leave quietly in exchange for a comfortable replacement position. Carcetti holds a press conference to announce the promotions.[9] During the final episode Daniels is promoted to Commissioner after the homeless killings and the case of the murders in the abandoned houses is solved. However, after refusing to "juke the stats" and Campbell's threats of revealing Burrell's dossier, he resigns from the force. His last act as police commissioner is to confer a set of promotions, including that of Ellis Carver to Lieutenant. In the final flash-forward montage, Daniels is shown practicing as a criminal defense lawyer before Pearlman as a newly commissioned judge.[10]

153

Production
Casting
Lance Reddick was cast in the role after auditioning for the parts of Bunk Moreland and Bubbles. He was told that they were looking for "a name" to fill the Daniels role. Reddick has described the character as serious, intense and committed.[4]

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Character profile - Lieutenant Cedric Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cedric_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] Joel Murphy (2005). "One on one with... Lance Reddick" (http:/ / www. hobotrashcan. com/ interviews/ lancereddick. php). Hobo Trashcan. . Retrieved 2006-07-21. [5] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [10] Clark Johhnson; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO.

William Rawls

154

William Rawls
William A. Rawls
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon John Doman Information Gender Occupation Title Male Acting Commissioner of the Baltimore Police department/MSP Super-intendant Acting Commissioner/MSP Super-intendant

William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series he ascends to the rank of Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

Biography
Season 1
Rawls was a Major and commanding officer of the Homicide unit in Season 1. He is a careerist, concerned only with maintaining the case clearance record of his unit, and is extremely demanding of his detectives. He was enraged when Detective Jimmy McNulty went around him to Judge Phelan to encourage further investigation of the Barksdale organization. He confronted McNulty about his insubordination and told him that McNulty had his attention. At the request for manpower and instruction of Deputy Burrell, Rawls sent McNulty and Santangelo to the Barksdale detail as they were two detectives he no longer wanted (Burrell did not want to see good police work in the case, so he told the unit commanders to dump their squads of detectives that were either useless or unwanted). Santangelo was apparently not meeting his clearance quotas and was then used as an inside man in Lieutenant Daniels' Barksdale detail. McNulty was a capable detective but was deemed insubordinate and disloyal due to his meeting with Judge Phelan. Rawls relied upon Sergeant Jay Landsman to handle much of his communication with the men under his command in homicide. McNulty attempted to placate Rawls by working several old murder cases, most notably the Deidre Kresson case, linking them all to the same gun, and to D'Angelo Barksdale. Rawls was delighted, and wanted to immediately issue a warrant for D'Angelo. When McNulty learned of this, he was dismayed, since arresting D'Angelo was premature and would tip off Avon Barksdale to their investigation. The detail persuaded Daniels to fight Rawls' push for arrests. Eventually Daniels went over Rawls' head and met with Burrell, convincing him to put the warrants on hold for the time being. This further infuriated Rawls, and he began hounding Santangelo to bring him something he could use against McNulty. Rawls demanded that "Sanny" either clear a "whodunit" case by day's end, inform on McNulty, or else leave the unit altogether due to his low clearance rate. An old case was cleared, courtesy of Bunk Moreland and Jimmy McNulty, credited to Santangelo as a means of keeping Rawls off of his back. Following the shooting of Detective Kima Greggs in a buy bust gone wrong, Rawls became personally involved in the investigation. His first action was to insist that all non-essential personnel, including Greggs' friends in her detail, leave the crime scene. He later spoke to a distraught McNulty and reassured him that he was not ultimately responsible for the shooting but again expressed his hatred for his subordinate. Rawls also chastises his superiors for neither comforting or approaching Kima's partner, Cheryl, as is expected after a police shooting.

William Rawls When McNulty convinced Daniels to go around his superiors and try to involve the FBI in the Barksdale case, Rawls got a chance for revenge - he reassigned McNulty to the marine unit at the suggestion of Landsman after falsely telling him he would like to see him land on his feet and asking where he didn't want to go. Rawls also transferred detective Santangelo to the Western District as a beat officer. Rawls transferred in Lester Freamon as a replacement detective, noticing his talent for detail in the Barksdale investigation.

155

Season 2
Rawls was promoted to colonel, partly on the basis of McNulty's work on the Barksdale case, but his former detective remained a thorn in his side. When McNulty came across a body on marine patrol, Rawls managed to convince another department that the case belonged to them. McNulty used wind and tide charts to prove that the death occurred in Rawls' jurisdiction. When thirteen dead women were found in a cargo container at the ports, Rawls again tried to avoid responsibility for the investigation, and McNulty again found proof that the deaths fell under Rawls' jurisdiction, earning McNulty a permanent spot on his list of enemies. Rawls had Landsman assign the case to detectives Lester Freamon and Bunk Moreland because he believed they were the best investigators in his squad. He demanded personal reports from his detectives. When Daniels' detail was re-formed to investigate Frank Sobotka, Rawls signed off on every officer Daniels wanted with the exception of McNulty whom Rawls demanded would either drown or quit the force before leaving the hated marine unit. Rawls eagerly pressured Daniels to take on the responsibility for investigating the fourteen murders which Daniels initially refused in order to keep the case simple, but later accepted due to persuasion from Freamon. In exchange, he extracted a promise from Rawls to give him whatever he needed to solve the murders. When Daniels demanded McNulty, Rawls was ultimately forced to pull McNulty out of marine patrol and return him to Daniels' unit. Rawls thus allowed McNulty to be Daniels' responsibility but would not let him any further back into C.I.D.[1] The fourteen murder cases proved to be a boon for Rawls, as all of them were solved by Daniels' team at the end of season two.

Season 3
Rawls was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Operations when Burrell became Commissioner.[2] They preside over weekly COMSTAT meetings with their district commanders. Rawls is ruthless in his pursuit of complete accountability and awareness from his subordinates. As Commissioner, Burrell would write the orders from the Mayor's office, and Rawls as Deputy for operations would then ensure that these orders were enforced. Rawls' responsibility in the COMSTAT meetings was to interrogate individual commanders about their performance while Burrell would then make a decision as to what needed to be done by the commander in order that they could remain in their post. While Rawls berated several Shift Commanders over the season, he commended Lieutenant Daniels on a number of occasions as the type of commander he saw as both dedicated and competent. When Daniels was reassigned to target Stringer Bell, Rawls claimed that it was "Cedric Daniels to the rescue." In a scene which takes place in a gay bar, Rawls is shown briefly in the background. He is out of uniform and holding a drink. He has a smile on his face and appears to be at ease in the environment, suggesting that Rawls is probably gay[3]. During the shutdown of Hamsterdam, Rawls personally orders the mobilization of the Quick Response Team (QRT) and drives into the thick of it with his car radio playing Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. This goes against Colvin's wish that no mass arrests would take place and also denies Daniels a QRT unit for the take-down of the Barksdale organization.

William Rawls

156

Season 4
Rawls was Commissioner Ervin Burrell's first port of call when subpoenas issued by the major crimes unit upset Senator Clay Davis and Mayor Clarence Royce. Rawls suggested that Lester Freamon was the most likely source of the problem and recommended that the unit get proper supervision.[4] Rawls assigned a lieutenant loyal to him named Charlie Marimow aka the "unit killer" to head the unit. Marimow's caustic leadership resulted in an immediate shutdown of the unit's drug-money tracing activities and a return to street level investigations. Rawls preempted a rebellion from Freamon and subdued it by threatening his colleagues and offering him a transfer back to homicide. Rawls also facilitated the move of Kima Greggs from the unit into homicide as a favor to Major Cedric Daniels. Rawls showed great political acumen when Burrell made the mistake of assigning Greggs a politically significant murder case to slow the investigation down on the Mayor's behalf. He allowed Burrell's plan to go ahead and when it was leaked to the press Burrell fell out of Royce's favor. Rawls told Royce that he did not act differently as he is a loyal subordinate who always follows his bosses orders. Looking to replace Burrell, Royce asked if he was ready to take command in the wake of Burrell's mistake through telling Rawls that if he fixed this situation, Royce would not forget what he had done. Rawls also endeared himself to Tommy Carcetti's campaign. He received word from Lieutenant Hoskins, his insider in the Mayor's office as commander of the mayoral security detail, that Royce had fallen out with State Delegate Odell Watkins. Rawls fed this information to Carcetti so that he could recruit Watkins's support and asked Carcetti to remember him if he was elected. Rawls then assures the election goes smoothly by interfering with the Braddock case involving a dead state's witness. He reassigns Detectives Norris and Greggs who are working the investigation to election duty for the day as the department is 20 officers short of duty. Carcetti is elected Mayor and then begins trying to make the department more productive. He observes the department and work and sees an unmotivated investigation unit and petty drug arrests and then comes to Rawls. When Carcetti asks Rawls about the problems in the department, Rawls claims that affirmative action and pressure from the mayor's office has made policing a numbers' game. He states that to appease the voters and have a department that is demographically a match to that of the city, a 20% hike in the number of African American officers was required. He says this has occurred up the chain of command as well as in the academy and the early promotions have put inexperienced officers who are more trained to handle statistical values than they are to set out good policing strategies in command positions. Rawls claims that if it were up to him, he would focus on high end drug enforcement, a claim that Major Daniels (an African American commander who Rawls does view as "good police") does not believe. Despite being a loyal subordinate, Rawls developed a power struggle with Burrell over who controls the activity in the Department. Rawls was commanded to control day to day activity by Carcetti. Carcetti had no faith in Burrell's capacity to change the department's problems. Burrell was threatened by Rawls allowing the promotion of Daniels from Major to Colonel at the Mayor's request. Daniels was the most apparent threat within the department to dethroning Burrell as Commissioner. Rawls did not realize that Daniels could be promoted ahead of him until Deputy Commissioner of Administration Valchek pointed out the hindrance of Rawls' caucasian race, specifically due to Baltimore's African American majority. The political irony of season 4 is that Rawls helped Carcetti beat Royce in the election with the Watkins information when Royce was more likely to have named Rawls Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.

William Rawls

157

Season 5
Rawls continues to serve as Deputy Commissioner for Operations and begins to work amiably with Commissioner Ervin Burrell again. Mayor Tommy Carcetti puts the department under severe strain by cutting their funding and failing to deliver on his promises to initiate change. Rawls has to deal with extremely low morale amongst all officers and is still expected to deliver a reduction in the crime rate by Carcetti.[5][6] Rawls and Burrell continue to manipulate their statistics.[7][8] The altered statistics are discovered by Carcetti giving him the political ammunition he has been waiting for to fire Burrell. Carcetti plans to move Rawls to acting commissioner while he prepares Cedric Daniels to take over the post permanently.[9][10] The transitions in the police department were officially announced at a press conference attended by Carcetti, Burrell, Rawls and Daniels.[11] In the series finale, Rawls is seen being sworn in as the Superintendent of the Maryland State Police as a reward for his loyalty to Carcetti and his allowing Valchek to become commissioner.

Origins
Rawls' distinctive technique for intimidating others is based on real Baltimore CID commander Joe Cooke. Simon has also commented that Rawls' attitude towards the murder rate and his unit's clearance record is a product of the extreme pressure he is under.[12]

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] Ed Bianchi; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2004-11-28). "Reformation". The Wire. episode 10. season 3. HBO. [4] "Character profile - Deputy Commissioner William Rawls" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ william_rawls. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [5] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [11] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [12] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO.

Ervin Burrell

158

Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Transitions" (episode 5.04) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Frankie Faison Information Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Children Male Mayoral crime committee advisor None Arlene Yes

Ervin Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of the show. He was fired by Mayor Tommy Carcetti for falsifying crime statistics.

Biography
Burrell is a careerist who believes in the chain of command in the department and stores knowledge of corrupt activities of his officers and commanders to maintain his authority. Burrell is a statistical bureaucrat who cares more about reducing crime on paper than building strong cases. Burrell is conscious of the media coverage of his department and is very sensitive to the newspaper headlines concerning its progress. Throughout the series, he struggles to direct the department to make an adequate impact on crime reduction and is constantly engaged in conflict with the city's politicians, some of whom blame him directly for the department's problems.

Season 1
Burrell was Deputy Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department in season one. His main aim as Deputy Commissioner was to ascend to Police Commissioner. He consistently showed more interest in making good headlines rather than good cases. Burrell was deputy to commissioner Warren Frazier throughout the first season. Burrell usually acted independently with regard to day to day matters and was responsible for maintaining Frazier's orders throughout the department. Burrell faced criticism from Judge Phelan over the department's failure to investigate drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. Phelan was furious that Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale had been able to beat a murder charge in his courtroom by buying off a witness. Burrell hastily assembled a task force under Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' command in order to placate the judge. From the beginning, Burrell was unsupportive of the unit, hoping to make a few quick arrests to satisfy the judge and then bury the case. To ensure a short and simple case, Burrell also gave the detail lieutenant Daniels the worst officers available. Burrell ordered premature seizure raids that tipped the Barksdale organization to the detail's efforts and prompted them to change their operating structure hindering further investigation. When the detail began investigating donations from the Barksdale organization to local politicians, Burrell realized the political implications. He was also upset to find that the case was becoming prolonged and that the detail had set up wiretaps. The detail seized Barksdale money being carried by a driver for the corrupt state senator Clay Davis, causing Burrell to intervene. Burrell ordered Daniels to return the money to avoid embarrassing Senator Davis.

Ervin Burrell Burrell ordered the detail to perform an undercover operation which resulted in the shooting of Detective Kima Greggs. The high profile shooting prompted more involvement from commissioner Frazier. Frazier and Burrell's main concern was sending a message to the community that the police department remained strong by seizing a large amount of narcotics. In retaliation for the shooting, Burrell insisted that Daniels' detail raid the Barksdales' main stash house, an act which caused the Barksdale organization to stop using pay phones altogether - effectively nullifying the detail's wiretaps. Burrell also bribed Detective Ellis Carver with a sergeant promotion to feed him information from inside the detail. To force Daniels to meet his demands, Burrell threatened to revisit previous allegations towards Daniels which showed him in possession of an excessive income from his days in the Eastern District's Drug Enforcement Unit. Daniels turned the threat back on Burrell by telling Burrell that he was ready to take charges of corruption to cause bad headlines for Burrell. Daniels stated that he would continue to pursue the case until the court ordered wire taps were down. When the Barksdale case ended, Burrell reassigned Daniels to evidence control as punishment for defying and threatening him. Burrell also learns that a detective from the detail, Jimmy McNulty, had been leaking information to the judge and approves his reassignment to the marine unit as punishment.

159

Season 2
With Commissioner Frazier's retirement, Burrell was the department's most qualified candidate and was named Acting Commissioner. With the support of the mayor and many of the city's African American political figures, Burrell's appointment to commissioner was highly likely. The only dissenting voices came from first district council members. Major Stan Valchek, the Southeastern District commander, was on good terms with all of the first district's key figures. Valchek offered Burrell support from the first district in exchange for providing an investigative detail to pursue a case against Frank Sobotka. Valchek was convinced that Sobotka, an International Brotherhood of Stevedores union leader, was smuggling through the docks. However, in reality, Valchek pursued such an investigation to satisfy a petty grudge against Sobotka.[1] Burrell gave Valchek a squad of six detectives under the proviso that newly promoted Criminal Investigations Division Colonel William Rawls would pick the men. The detail was to have six weeks to build a case against Sobotka and his union. Burrell used the same tactics that he had with Cedric Daniels on the Barksdale investigation influencing the shift commanders to give their worst detectives to the detail as Burrell did not personally value the investigation. Valchek was disappointed when he saw the ineffective detectives at work and furious when he heard through his son-in-law, Detective Roland Pryzbylewski, that Burrell had interfered with the Barksdale investigation. Valchek angrily demanded better officers to lead the investigation threatening to derail Burrell's quest for commissioner for noncompliance. Valchek specifically demanded Daniels to lead the investigation. Daniels was considering retirement from the department following his reassignment to evidence control. Burrell attempted to convince Daniels to stay with the department and Daniels realized that Burrell was doing so at Valchek's request. Daniels demanded a promotion, a specialized unit, and selection of his own detectives to conduct the case. Burrell agreed in order to appease Valchek. Daniels' detail built a partially successful case and Valchek was mollified.

Ervin Burrell

160

Season 3
Burrell faces problems with councilman Tommy Carcetti, the head of the public safety subcomittee, and criticism of the department's failure to reduce crime statistics. Burrell is ordered by Mayor Clarence Royce to keep the annual murder rate below 275 and cause a drop of 5% in the felony rate citywide. Royce believes Carcetti will run against him in the forthcoming election and hopes to insulate himself against opponents by campaigning on declining crime statistics. During the season Burrell worked with Carcetti in order to prevent the department from looking worse at the public safety subcommittee meetings. Carcetti offered Burrell more resources for the department in exchange for inside information on the Royce administration. Burrell accepted the offer as Royce provided little support to the department and forced Burrell to take all the blame for the department's problems. Carcetti continued to criticize the department over issues like witness protection but delivered on his promises to Burrell. Burrell began to see Carcetti as a useful ally in difficult times for the department. Burrell promoted William Rawls to fill his old position of Deputy Commissioner of Operations. Burrell failed to deliver Lieutenant Cedric Daniels his promised promotion to Major due to political conflicts. Daniels' wife Marla was running for the 11th district council seat where one of Royce's loyalists Eunetta Perkins was serving. This supposedly prevented Burrell from approving the promotion. Burrell does allow Daniels his own Major Crimes Unit and they return to investigating Avon Barksdale. Burrell and Rawls presided over harrowing weekly comstat meetings where they pressured their district commanders to return the favorable crime rate figures Royce had demanded. As deputy, Rawls is more outspoken in criticizing the district and operational commanders while Burrell steps in to give a final warning or relieve a commander from their post. Burrell first relieved Major Marvin Taylor as the Eastern District Commander and then threatened Western District Commander Major Howard Colvin when felonies rose 2% in his district. Major Colvin responded by allowing drug dealing to continue unchecked in specific areas and the felony rate dropped. Colvin concealed his strategy from his superiors and they became suspicious of his statistics. Upon learning the truth about Colvin's success, Burrell forced Colvin to take his vacation time immediately. He then informed the Mayor of the sanctioned drug dealing zones. Royce considered sustaining the initiative because of its positive effects. While Royce procrastinated Burrell became convinced the Mayor looked to blame the department directly. Burrell told Royce he would go to the press and tell them that Colvin's initiative was the result extreme pressure from city hall to reduce crime statistics. The threat called into question Royce's chances of re-election and Burrell softened it with an offer to take full responsibility for Colvin's actions provided that Royce made him commissioner for a full term. Burrell leaked the story to Carcetti and the massive media attention forced Royce to accept Burrell's offer. Burrell had Rawls shut down Colvin's drug tolerant zones soon after the Mayor agreed to his demands. Burrell also had Colvin demoted to lieutenant and forced to retire from the department early with the assistance of loyal Internal Investigations Division commander Major Bobby Reed. Burrell used Colvin as a scapegoat and deflected political fallout from Royce as promised. Colvin complied with Burrell's demands because Burrell threatened to involve the men under Colvin's command in the Western district. Burrell had Colvin humiliated further by personally informing Johns Hopkins University of Colvin's misdeeds and costing him his retirement job with Campus Security. Daniels' major crimes unit makes a fortuitous arrest (of Avon Barksdale) at the same time as the Colvin scandal allowing Burrell to further divert media attention. Following the arrest, Burrell informs Daniels that his promotion to Major has been approved by city hall. Daniels is given the command of the Western District left open by Colvin's dismissal.

Ervin Burrell

161

Season 4
Burrell continued as police Commissioner and remained a key member of Mayor Clarence Royce's inner circle. Royce was outraged when the major crimes unit served subpoenas against key political figures without his knowledge. After a dressing down from the Mayor, Burrell promised to prevent any more surprises from his department. Burrell then asked Deputy Commissioner William Rawls if Detective Jimmy McNulty was responsible for this given his previous acts of insubordination, but Rawls suggested Lester Freamon was behind the subpoenas as McNulty had left the unit. Rawls recommended controlling the subpoenas by "proper supervision" of the unit which involved removing the lenient Lieutenant Jimmy Asher and replacing him with a hostile and caustic commander named Lieutenant Charles Marimow. When Burrell failed to bring a murdered witness to the Mayor's attention before it became a campaign issue Royce ordered Burrell to downplay the story to the press and take the political fallout on himself. Royce also instructed Burrell to slow the investigation down to suppress information about the motive for the murder surfacing until after the election. Royce wanted to prevent it being proved that the killing was carried out because of the victim's witness status. Burrell ordered Colonel Raymond Foerster to reassign the veteran primary investigator, Ed Norris, and replace him with Kima Greggs, now a rookie homicide detective. This proved to be a mistake as the change of investigators was leaked to the press. Mayor Royce then summoned Burrell and Deputy Commissioner Rawls criticizing Burrell for the problems within his department that allowed the leak. Royce angrily dismissed Burrell only to keep Deputy Rawls after the discussion. Royce admired Rawls' loyal subordination to the chain of command and claimed that he would "not forget" Rawls clearing these incidents up implying that Burrell would lose his commissioner's post following the election. Royce however lost to Tommy Carcetti in the democratic primary election and Burrell managed to keep his commissioner's post. Once Carcetti was elected he asked Burrell to resign as commissioner. Burrell refused and told Carcetti that he would have to fire him and that if he leaves, he will not go quietly. Carcetti at the same time could not fire Burrell without having ready an African American replacement due to political reasons. Finding a replacement was further complicated by a lack of ranking African American officers in the department besides Burrell. There was only one African American Deputy Commissioner named Hawthorne who was 70 years old and no African American officers over the rank of Colonel. The next highest ranking African Americans in the department were Majors and Shift Lieutenants most of whom such as Major Bobby Reed were loyal to Burrell and his method of policing. Carcetti decided to strip Burrell of his power as commissioner and give all decision making up to Deputy Commissioner Rawls while leaving Burrell as a figurehead for the press and ministers. Burrell was concerned when Carcetti ordered the promotion of Cedric Daniels to Colonel and Criminal Investigations Division commander. Burrell viewed Daniels as being nothing more than Mayor Carcetti's "Boy" and was afraid that Carcetti planned to make Daniels his replacement. With Daniels' promotion from Major to Colonel after only a short time as Major, Burrell's future in the department appeared to be less and less certain.[2][3] Burrell proved himself a valuable political aide to the Mayor in the handling of brutality charges against Officer Thomas "Herc" Hauk. Herc had been accused of racial profiling and police brutality in a car stop involving an African American minister. Burrell recommended the Internal Investigations Division look deep into Herc's file because his time in narcotics would probably show further poor conduct according to his past experiences with narcotics detectives. Burrell met with State Senator Clay Davis to discuss preventing Daniels from advancing further in the department. Burrell is in possession of FBI information showing Daniels had unexplained income while working in the Eastern District. As the season closed, Burrell warned Rawls never to cross him again as Rawls' own hopes for promotion had been shattered by the political climate necessitating an African American commander.

Ervin Burrell

162

Season 5
Burrell continues to serve as Mayor Tommy Carcetti's police commissioner more than a year into his term and is forced to deal with massive spending cuts despite the Mayor's promises that the department would see a new day with more funding. Burrell is once again working amicably with Deputy Commissioner for Operations William Rawls. Morale in the department is extremely low and while Burrell cuts operating funds as instructed he successfully convinces the Mayor to lift the cap on secondary employment to bolster morale.[4][5] Senator Clay Davis faces a corruption investigation by the major crimes unit (MCU) and appeals to Burrell for protection. Burrell is unable to protect Davis this time because Cedric Daniels commands the criminal investigations division which includes the MCU and Burrell does not feel able to order Daniels to obstruct the investigation because of his connection to Carcetti. Davis angrily threatens Burrell when Burrell refuses his request.[6][7] Carcetti is leaked a copy of statistics showing an increase in crime by Deputy Commissioner for Administration Stanislaus Valchek. Valchek hopes to usurp Burrell's position as commissioner but Carcetti decides that he will have to accept rising crime given the funding cuts he has imposed. However, Burrell delivers altered statistics to the Mayor despite Carcetti's insistence on clean numbers. Carcetti finally has the political capital he needs to fire Burrell and leaks a story about a potential shake up in the police department to the papers. Burrell is devastated when he reads the story, which relates that Carcetti will promote Rawls to acting commissioner temporarily while Daniels is groomed for the job with a short posting as Deputy Commissioner (Carcetti does not think Valchek is suitable).[8][9] Burrell plans to expose Daniels' history of corruption but is talked into leaving quietly by city council president Nerese Campbell. Campbell uses the promise of a lucrative replacement position to mollify Burrell. Burrell agrees to attend a press conference with Carcetti and to allow the transitions in the department to go ahead in order to secure his new job. Faced with his departure Burrell revealed his bitterness at having to accommodate interference and schizophrenic policy making from the Mayor's office throughout his career. He warned Rawls that he could expect the same treatment.[10]

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Character profile - Acting Police Commissioner Ervin Burrel" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ ervin_burrell. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [9] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [10] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Stanislaus Valchek

163

Stanislaus Valchek
Stanislaus Valchek
First appearance "The Buys" (episode 1.03) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Al Brown Information Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Children Relatives Male Baltimore Police Commissioner Kate (wife) Joan Pryzbylewski (daughter) Roland Pryzbylewski (son-in-law)

Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.

Biography
Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining white ethnic neighborhoods in Baltimore. A politician more than a policeman, he is well-connected and is on good terms with various Democratic organizations close to City Hall, most notably the politically influential developer Andrew Krawczyk. In Season 4 Tommy Carcetti suggests that Valchek was named commander of the Southeastern Police District because it is a position reserved for either Greek American or Polish American commanders in the department. His political savvy led to a quick and easy rise through the ranks, despite being disliked by commanding officers such as Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls. Valchek is Roland Pryzbylewski's father-in-law.

Season 1
Valchek only appeared once, in a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Burrell and Lieutenant Daniels, trying to smooth over Prez's drunken blinding of a fourteen-year-old. Valchek told Daniels that if Daniels helped Prez, Valchek would owe him a favor.

Season 2
Valchek was the impetus behind the investigation into corruption at the docks, due to a petty feud he had with Dockworker Union Treasurer Frank Sobotka, another American-Pole. Both men wanted to donate stained glass windows to a local church, and Sobotka refused to withdraw his larger, more expensive window which had been installed first. Valchek became curious as to how the struggling union could afford the expensive window. He ordered his subordinates (including Sergeant Ellis Carver) to begin harassing Sobotka and his union, putting parking tickets on their cars and pulling them over for breathalyzer tests directly outside the bar they frequent. The union responded by stealing Valchek's valuable district surveillance van and shipping it from port to port, sending him photographs from each destination.

Stanislaus Valchek Valchek discussed the union with Krawczyk, who knew of Sobotka making numerous campaign contributions. Valchek felt there was a possibility of illegal activity, while at the same time noticing Deputy Commissioner Burrell's nomination for Acting Commissioner. Knowing that Burrell had trouble finding support with the first district council members, Valchek offered Burrell political influence in exchange for a special unit devoted to investigating Sobotka, with Prez as the lead investigator. Burrell had Colonel Rawls send an investigative team from CID to Valchek, all "highly recommended" officers, who were in fact dead-weight "humps." When Valchek witnessed the task force's lack of work ethic, he demanded a real police detail led by Cedric Daniels as commander (on Prez's recommendation and repaying the favor owed to Daniels from Season 1), threatening to derail Burrell's effort to become Commissioner if he did not agree. Burrell obligingly recreated Daniels' task force. As the investigation expanded to cover Greek drug traffickers, Sobotka ceased to be the primary target, angering Valchek. Valchek went to the FBI to try to refocus the investigation, turning it into a racketeering case, but the bureau remained more focused on the union and port than Sobotka. Valchek confronted Daniels' team publicly; he insulted and shoved Prez, who responds by punching Valchek in the face. Furious, he disowned his son-in-law and threatened to have him removed from the department. Daniels convinced him to reduce Prez's punishment, pointing out that any official action would have to mention that Valchek provoked the attack (Daniels even offers to have the BPD rewrite the statements on Valchek's behalf but claims the FBI agents who witnessed the attack would not follow suit). Valchek grudgingly assigned Prez two months of duty on the midnight shift of the district's narcotics unit and accepted a letter of apology in exchange for not charging him. At the close of the investigation, Valchek delighted in personally making the arrest of Sobotka, and held him in the union offices until he could be publicly dragged out in front of the press. Sobotka was ultimately killed, but the surveillance van was still being shipped around the world.[1]

164

Season 3
Valchek set up a meeting between acting Commissioner Burrell and Tommy Carcetti, a city councilman from Valchek's district, knowing that Carcetti was setting up deals behind the back of Mayor Clarence Royce. When the Mayor pressured the department to lower the crime rates, Valchek claimed he would put more foot patrols in his district's housing projects, use more of his flex squads, request more overtime and cheat the stats if he needed to (turning burglaries into larcenies, and downgrading assault charges amongst other things) in order to reduce the crime in the southeastern district. In the midst, Valchek was surprised and amused to hear remarks made by Bunny Colvin, the Western District commander, who stood up to Deputy Rawls questioning how to "juke the stats" with regard to dead bodies. When talking with the other commanders, Valchek also overheard Colvin suggesting drug legalization (ostensibly as a joke) to decrease the felonies in his district. Later, during the pursuit of a suspect, Prez accidentally shot and killed a plainclothes officer, a mistake further complicated by racial implications (the killed officer was black). Despite disowning him earlier Valchek used his influence to have the charges dismissed, and although Daniels and several other African-American officers were willing to testify (per Valchek's request) that Prez was not racist, Prez chose to leave the department.[2]

Season 4
Valchek mentored Herc in political maneuvering, after the officer stumbled across Mayor Royce being fellated by one of his secretaries. Acting on Valchek's advice, Herc was promoted to sergeant. When Tommy Carcetti ran for Mayor, Valchek supported his campaign, leaking him information such as the murder of a state's witness named Braddock. When Valchek later leaked Burrell's replacement of a veteran detective with a rookie on the Braddock case, the fallout led to the Mayor deciding to replace Burrell as commissioner. Before this happened, Carcetti was elected Mayor, and Burrell managed to keep his appointed position for the time being. Carcetti informed Rawls that Valchek will be promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Administration as a reward for his loyalty, but described him as a "hack" and asks Rawls to keep him from doing any damage. At the promotion

Stanislaus Valchek ceremony, Valchek's wife and daughter are present while Prez is conspicuously absent. As departmental power shifted, and Carcetti began plotting to oust Burrell, Valchek pointed out to Deputy Commissioner Rawls that newly promoted Colonel Daniels was more likely to be the next Police Commissioner than Rawls, if only because Daniels is African American.[3]

165

Season 5
Valchek is shown early in the season leaking the department's real police statistics over the increased crime rate to Mayor Tommy Carcetti. He urges that both Burrell and Rawls should be fired for two straight quarters yielding a 4% increase in violent crime. He also suggests that Carcetti should promote him to Acting Commissioner at least until Cedric Daniels or another African American is named to the permanent post. Carcetti and assistant Norman Wilson both agree that Valchek is unfit to deal with the city council president and minister's alliance, even on an acting basis, but keep the statistics nonetheless. It is later revealed that Valcheck is a prime source for Baltimore Sun reporter Roger Twigg. Unable to take disciplinary action for a crime increase due to the department's lack of funding, Carcetti decides he will give Burrell a free pass assuming honest statistics are delivered. When Burrell delivers juked stats showing no increase or decrease in the crime rate, he is unaware of the crime stats Valchek has leaked to the Mayor. With the clean and juked statistics in his possession, Carcetti has ammunition to fire Burrell and leaks a story to the Baltimore Sun with Cedric Daniels' photograph in an effort to appease the city's African American voters about the consideration for a change of Police Commissioner. In the series finale, Cedric Daniels is named commissioner but resigns to prevent an FBI case against him from going public. Valchek is then promoted to the position of Police Commissioner (with a full five-year term) by new mayor Nerese Campbell. Valchek is not well regarded for his police work throughout the department as mentioned by Detective Leandor Sydnor who speaks with Judge Daniel Phelan about a case and how the current police commissioner "doesn't have an idea of what police work is".

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Character profile - Major Stanislaus Valchek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stan_valchek. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22.

Jay Landsman

166

Jay Landsman
Jay Landsman
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Delaney Williams Information Aliases Gender Occupation Title Jaybird Male Baltimore homicide Sergeant Sergeant

Jay Landsman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Delaney Williams.

Biography
Policing method
Landsman's role in the police department is that of a supervisory detective sergeant who doesn't participate in much investigation work. Landsman generally acts in the best interests of his subordinates especially those who give him the necessary clearances (closed cases). As a supervisor, Landsman acts on behalf of the wishes of his superior officers even though in some cases, he does not necessarily agree with specific commands. Examples of this are when he is ordered to have Bunk Moreland find a hospitalized detective's missing firearm in Season 3 and when a dead state's witness becomes an electoral issue in Season 4. Throughout the series, he is shown as a commander attempting to strike a balance between loyalty to subordinates and superiors, most often favoring the latter. Landsman has only been called to solve a few murders on his own as a supervisor. He is generally respectful of criminal suspects with the exception of his participation in the beating of Bird. Landsman is generally jovial and provides a degree of comic relief in the series. He also possesses a shrewd understanding of the subtle politics in the chain of command, almost always successfully acting in self preservation and self promotion without making many enemies. He states that clearly to McNulty, during the first episode of season 2, by saying its all about self-preservation and it is too bad that McNulty never learned that. Overall, under Landsman's supervision, the homicide unit ends up often clearing many of the more challenging "whodunit" homicides occurring in Baltimore city proving him to be an effective sergeant within the department. However, he can be mildly bullying and tends to derive his good humor from schadenfreude though he is not generally malicious. He has the duty of ministering in the informal "detective wakes" held in honor of the deceased at Kavanaugh's, the bar frequented by many in the department. Wakes take place in Season 3 (for Ray Cole), Season 4 (for Raymond Foerster) and Season 5 (for the ostracized, but still-living Jimmy McNulty).

Jay Landsman

167

Season 1
Landsman is a squad sergeant in the homicide division of the Baltimore police department. His commanding officer was originally William Rawls. Landsman's squad consists of several of the shows characters - in season one it comprised Detectives Jimmy McNulty, Bunk Moreland, Michael Santangelo, Ray Cole, Ed Norris and Vernon Holley. Landsman finds the misfortune of the cops in his unit a constant source of amusement but is also protective of them at times. He is loyal to Rawls and also doggedly pursues the high case clearance rates that Rawls aims for but is realistic about the capabilities of his detectives. When McNulty went around the chain of command and incurred Rawls's wrath by being detailed to another unit Landsman appeared unsympathetic. He insisted that McNulty's work looking at old homicide cases for the detail be put to his advantage to make up for losing a detective. To this end, he insisted that McNulty look into the Deirdre Kresson murder case; McNulty was reluctant because the case appeared unrelated. Landsman was sure a link would be found and his intuition later proved correct. However, Landsman did argue McNulty's case with Rawls and managed to get Rawls to agree that McNulty could return to homicide with a clean slate if the investigation was wrapped up quickly. Despite Landsman's best efforts McNulty remained out of favor with Rawls because he refused to end the case he was working on prematurely. Landsman always maintained a black and twisted humor about the work of his squad. When Rawls gave Detective Santangelo an ultimatum of clearing a "whodunit" case by days end Landsman recommended him a psychic. He claimed that the woman, Madame LaRue, was especially gifted in "matters of death investigation". Santangelo took this advice by burying a doll in a grave awaking later that night to be given evidence in the murder that had occurred. When "Sanny" saw that he had been given information regarding an open homicide, he thanked Landsman who then told him that the Gypsy routine was a joke and that it had been Bunk and McNulty who saved his career.[1] Landsman's squad handled the case of the killing of Wendell "Orlando" Blocker and wounding of detective Kima Greggs and he was personally involved in the investigation.

Season 2
Initial suspicions are confirmed when Landsman admits to McNulty it was he who informed Rawls as to where he didn't want to be re-stationed. He learned of this while being present when McNulty discussed it early in season one. Landsman's squad was altered as Rawls transferred Santangelo and McNulty out of the unit because they had displeased him by working with the Barksdale detail. Lester Freamon returned to homicide after a thirteen-year (and four month) absence and joined Landsman's squad. When Rawls was forced to take on the multiple homicide case of fourteen unidentified dead women, he entrusted it to Landsman. Landsman gave the case to Freamon and Bunk telling them they were his best detectives. When his detectives started working with Cedric Daniels on the Sobotka detail, Landsman saw the potential to offload the responsibility of the case but Daniels initially refused. Landsman was responsible for the interrogation of Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka after he killed George "Double G" Glekas. Although Ziggy quickly confessed, Landsman failed to inform Daniels' specialized detail about the murder in time for them to become involved. Daniels was irate with Landsman for his lack of forethought when it allowed his targets to dispose of evidence at the Glekas crime scene.

Season 3
Landsman appeared as a commanding detective of homicide again this season mainly associated with finding the service weapon of Officer Dozerman, whose gun was stolen in a failed undercover buy. He had Bunk Moreland look for the gun, pressuring him intensely until Bunk wrote a ten-page report stating how unproductive the investigation became. Bunk claimed that he had more important things to do as he was a murder investigator and the city's homicide rate was rising, and Landsman appeared to give Bunk his blessing to work murders instead. Landsman

Jay Landsman delivers the eulogy at the Detective's Wake held for Ray Cole after his sudden death. Landsman later appeared following the death of officer Derrick Waggoner, an African American plainclothes officer accidentally killed by Detective Pryzbylewski, who had mistaken him for a criminal. Landsman was personally angry at the death, referring to it as a "clusterfuck" as the officer murdered was a six-and-a-half year veteran who was 16th on the current sergeant's list with two commendations while Prez was known for his incompetence and still in the department all due to his father-in-law Stan Valchek, the Southeastern district commander.

168

Season 4
Landsman is not above getting involved in politics. When his detective Ed Norris informs him he's investigating the murder of a state's witness Landsman passes the knowledge on to Major Valchek in secret. Valchek leaks the information to Tommy Carcetti who uses it against the current mayor in a key debate. Landsman's squad is boosted by the return of Lester Freamon and the addition of Kima Greggs when a new unit commander drives them out of the major case unit. Landsman and his detectives constantly tease Greggs when she first joins the unit. Political pressure forces Landsman to assign Greggs, instead of Norris, to the witness murder. When this information is leaked to the press, Landsman attends a press conference with Greggs and Norris to diffuse the story by claiming that they were working it together. Greggs feels used by her superiors and this creates friction between her and Landsman. Landsman is forced to intercede in the investigation a second time when Norris threatens to break the case on the eve of the election. Rawls tells him whatever the outcome of the case, one of the candidates will be put out and it is better to leave it pending until after the election. Landsman is told to reassign Greggs and Norris to polling station duty for the day to prevent progress in their investigation.[2] After the election, Greggs solves the Braddock case which tends to provide less leads than were initially given and she gains Landsman's respect in the process. Landsman then is seen delivering the eulogy for Colonel Foerester whom he claimed had a miraculous career serving 39 years without a trace of bitterness or hostility, a rarity in the Baltimore Police Department. Landsman is then seen criticizing Detective Moreland for reversing one of Detective Holley's clearances as he is against cases going from "black to red." Following Foerester's death, Cedric Daniels is named C.I.D. colonel and allocates more resources to the investigative divisions to allow for more quality investigations, at the order of Mayor-elect Tommy Carcetti. Landsman then witnesses Detective Lester Freamon discovering dead bodies in abandoned houses and is initially against their discovery because it will raise the city's homicide rate. When more bodies are discovered, Landsman realizes the squad can't maintain an acceptable clearance rate and becomes less concerned about the department's numbers. Landsman finally sees Bubbles turn himself in for murder of a teenager and after hearing that the death was accidental, decides not to press homicide charges sending him to a psychiatric unit at Bayview instead.

Season 5
After Jimmy McNulty is forced out of the police department, Landsman delivers a speech at the wake in McNulty's honor. He cites his insubordination and personality flaws but also says McNulty is the best detective he has ever had and is sorry for losing him. He fakes breaking out in tears at the end.

Origins
The character is based on and named after a real homicide detective sergeant whom David Simon had met while researching the book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. The character is often given dialogue that the writers recall the real Landsman using. Delaney Williams was chosen for the part because of the creators' experience of working with him in small roles on Homicide and The Corner.[3] The real Jay Landsman can also be seen on The Wire in the role of Dennis Mello, first in an uncredited appearance in the season 2 episode "Stray Rounds", and later as a regular cast member. The real Landsman was the inspiration for detective John Munch, a character from Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, who also made an appearance on The Wire.

Jay Landsman Among the discrepancies between the character on The Wire and the real Jay Landsman, the most prominent is their physique: the real Landsman was the least overweight sergeant in the homicide squad,[4] while The Wire's version is one of the more heavyset officers on the force, often referred to as "Fat Man."

169

References
[1] "Character profile - Sergeant Jay Landsman" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jay_landsman. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [4] Simon, David (2006) [1991]. "One". Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (4th ed.). Owl Books. p.85. ISBN0-8050-8075-9. "Other sergeants in the homicide unit might resemble grocers who consumed too much of the profits, but at an inch over six feet, Landsman still looked like a street police"

170

Law enforcement
Law enforcement characters of The Wire
Law enforcement is an integral part of the fictional HBO drama series The Wire. The show has numerous characters in this field and their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to those setting laws city wide. The Baltimore City Police Department has been explored in detail from street level characters to the upper echelons of command. The show has also examined those setting laws in city politics and touched upon the FBI, the correctional system and the family of police officers.

Police
The police department includes several of the show's starring characters and a wealth of supporting characters. It has been featured in all 5 seasons of the show to date.

FBI
Terrance "Fitz" Fitzhugh
Played by: Doug Olear Appears in Season one: "The Target"; "The Buys" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; and "Middle Ground". Season five: "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Clarifications"; and "30." Fitz is a special agent with the FBI and a friend of Jimmy McNulty. Fitz inspires McNulty to use modern electronic surveillance against the Barksdale organization by showing how they to set up video surveillance on a drug production ring. He tells McNulty it would be the last major bureau drug investigation in Baltimore because they are shifting resources to counter-terrorism. Fitz helps McNulty again by giving him some of the FBI's less bulky recording devices. He also warns McNulty that his commander Cedric Daniels was investigated for corruption by the FBI and they had found an excess of liquid assets. After they handed the case over to Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell, nothing further came of it. Fitz also becomes involved with McNulty's teams case against Frank Sobotka. Major Valchek calls in the FBI when he feels that the case had strayed too far from Sobotka. The FBI has a particular interest in corrupt unions, and quickly go after the Dockworkers' Local. When a leak within the FBI seriously damages the case, Fitz realizes who it was and broke the news to Lieutenant Daniels. In the third season, Fitz supplies the major case unit with photo-enhancing technology that they use to check number plates on Barksdale organization vehicles. Fitz is then called on for a final favor from Cedric Daniels, an immediate wiretap on Stringer Bell as time is limited in retrieving cell phone information from him. Fitz then goes to the FBI changing Bell's original name from Russell to Achmed claiming he has ties to terrorist organizations giving Daniel's unit an immediate surveillance of Bell. Fitz is based on a real FBI agent named Jake Fitzsimmons who collaborated on cases with writer and ex-detective Ed Burns. Ed Burns is a University of Toledo College of Law Alumni and Fitz mentions his Rocket allegiance in the third season when joking around with McNulty.[1]

Law enforcement characters of The Wire

171

Amanda Reese
Played by: Benay Berger Appears in Season one: "Sentencing". Season two: "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Slapstick". Season five: "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Clarifications"; and "30." Reese is a Baltimore division FBI supervisor and the superior of Fitz. She often works with Lieutenant Daniels, supplying him with resources and running joint cases. She is approached with the Barksdale case to discuss pursuing a corruption angle, but Daniels decided that is not the direction he wanted. Her team also work alongside Daniels' detail investigating union corruption in the Baltimore ports. Her goal during the investigation was getting the union decertified unless they changed their leadership wholesale.

Kristos Koutris
Played by: Tom Mardirosian Appears in season two: "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings" and "Bad Dreams". Koutris is a special agent in the FBI's counter-terrorism unit who feeds information on the bureaus activity to The Greek. He is responsible for telling The Greek about an investigation by the Baltimore Police Department and the local FBI office, and gives The Greek warning enough to temporarily shut down his smuggling operation. He is rewarded with information on a large shipment of drugs that he seizes on the FBIs behalf. Koutris is also responsible for telling The Greek that his contact in the Port of Baltimore, Frank Sobotka, has agreed to give evidence against him. This information leads to Sobotkas death. FBI Special Agent Fitzhugh realizes Koutris is a leak, but is unable to do anything because Koutris is well regarded because of the drug arrest. It is also implied (and has subsequently been confirmed by creator David Simon) that Koutris is protecting The Greek by supplying him with confidential FBI information in exchange for information on potential acts of terrorism, or with tip-offs to other illegal activities (such as the Columbian drug importation).

Court house
Rupert Bond
Played by: Dion Graham Appears in: Season four: "Unto Others", "Know Your Place", "That's Got His Own". Season five: "More with Less", "Transitions", "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", and "30". Rupert Bond is a politically ambitious African American prosecuting attorney.[2] In the fourth season he is campaigning against incumbent Steven Demper to become the Maryland State's Attorney for Baltimore City. Demper is supported by Mayor Royce. Bond maintains a lead against Demper throughout the campaign and is initially viewed with skepticism by Rhonda Pearlman. She claims that if Demper loses, the new front office will demote her because of her race in majority African American Baltimore. Royce and Demper both lose in the election, and Bond is elected State's Attorney. Bond promotes both Ilene Nathan and Pearlman whom he admires as good prosecutors. In a meeting with newly elected Mayor Tommy Carcetti, Bond is opposed to legalizing gambling in Baltimore due to the crime increase that comes with casinos. In the fifth season Bond is focused on convicting corrupt Maryland State Senator Clay Davis. He convinces Carcetti to grant him a small police detail to pursue the case when the Major Crimes Unit is closed down due to funding cuts.

Law enforcement characters of The Wire Council President Nerese Campbell believes Bond is interested in the high profile conviction in order to raise his profile and believes Bond will contest her run to replace Carcetti as mayor of Baltimore. Carcetti backs Bond's desire to keep the case local out of fear that the Republican federal prosecutor will use the case to create a scandal for Carcetti's own Democratic Party.[3][4] New developments in the Davis investigation provide an opportunity to take the case federal but Bond elects to ignore the potential for a new charge to keep the case as his own. Bond has Pearlman bring Davis in for a Grand Jury deposition and stages a photo opportunity as Davis leaves the courthouse.[5] Clay Davis however turns the tables during the trial rallying Baltimore's African American community with the support of influential figures such as high profile attorney Billy Murphy and former mayor Clarence Royce. As Davis is called to the stand, he mockingly refers to Bond as "Prosecutor Obonda" (Most likely in reference to Barack Obama) and charms the majority African American jury into believing that all of the questionable income he has allegedly collected has been sent back to help solve various community problems. Davis is then found not guilty, after which follows a celebration outside the courthouse to the shock of Bond and Pearlman.[6]

172

Nadiva Bryant
Played by: Toni Lewis Appears in: Season one: "Sentencing". Season two: "Bad Dreams" and "Storm Warnings". Nadiva Bryant is an Assistant United States Attorney and works as the federal prosecutor for the team of FBI Agents led by Amanda Reese. She first appears when the Barksdale detail try to take their case federal in season one. She returns when the Sobotka detail case becomes a federal investigation.

Steven Demper
Played by: Doug Roberts Appears in: Season one: "Cleaning Up". Season three: "Dead Soldiers", "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Home Rooms". Demper is a Maryland State's Attorney, serving the district that includes Baltimore. He is the boss of Assistant State's Attorneys Rhonda Pearlman and Ilene Nathan. Demper is widely regarded as being more interested in preserving his elected position than pursuing justice. Pearlman falls out of his favor when a detail she is working with begins to investigate campaign donations made by drug dealers. He is later criticized by Ervin Burrell for refusing to chance a "whodunit" case as a means of helping the police department make convictions that stick. Delegate Odell Watkins is dissatisfied with Demper but Mayor Clarence Royce won't replace him due to his loyalty. In season four, Royce threatens to drop him from the party ticket if Demper does not go along with Royce's plans to interfere with the Carcetti campaign. Demper loses his bid for re-election to African American candidate Rupert Bond.

Law enforcement characters of The Wire

173

Ilene Nathan
Played by: Susan Rome Appears in: Season one: "The Hunt" and Sentencing". Season two: "Undertow" and All Prologue". Season three: "Dead Soldiers" (uncredited) Season four: "Unto Others"; "Corner Boys" (uncredited). Nathan is an Assistant State's Attorney in Baltimore and colleague of Rhonda Pearlman. Initially, she was the head of the violent crimes unit, tasked with prosecuting homicides in the city. As such, she convinced Wee-Bey Brice to plead guilty to multiple murders to avoid the death penalty, and was also present when Savino Bratton confessed to an (albeit minor) role in the shooting of Detective Greggs. In season two, Nathan conducted the prosecution against "Bird" Hilton, reluctantly using Omar Little as a witness. Once Bird was found guilty, she promised Omar a free pass on any single minor charge in the future for his assistance. She appeared only briefly in season three, attending the wake of Detective Ray Cole. When Omar was framed for a murder and arrested in season four, he convinced Detective Bunk Moreland that he was innocent and Bunk in turn convinced Nathan to have Omar transferred to a safer prison. Nathan told Bunk that she now considered her debt to Omar repaid. Later in season four, Nathan helped Detectives Greggs and Norris investigate the Braddock murder case. She also attended the wake of CID and homicide unit commander Raymond Foerster. When Rupert Bond was elected State's attorney he promoted Nathan to second deputy State's Attorney and Pearlman took over her role in the violent crimes unit.

Rhonda Pearlman
Assistant Maryland State's Attorney Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all the major investigations on the show.

Daniel Phelan
Played by: Peter Gerety Appears in: Season one: "The Target"; "The Detail"; "Old Cases"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons"; "The Cost"; "The Hunt"; "Sentencing". Season two: "All Prologue". Season three: "Reformation" and "Middle Ground". Season five: "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", and "30". Judge Phelan is a friend of Detective Jimmy McNulty's who presides over the D'Angelo Barksdale murder trial, watching the jury give a not guilty verdict when a witness changes her statement.[7] After he learns the witness was paid off (and possibly intimidated), and that D'Angelo is part of a much larger drug dealing operation, Phelan insists that Police Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell set up a detail to investigate. When Phelan speaks to the press about the murder of another witness from the trial, McNulty feels that Phelan has gone behind his back, souring their relationship for a time. Over the course of the investigation, he remains willing to sign court documents authorizing wiretaps. When Phelan realizes his actions have cost him political capital, his passion for the case wanes. Assistant States Attorney Rhonda Pearlman uses Phelan's obvious attraction to her to keep him interested in the case.

Law enforcement characters of The Wire In Season two, Phelan presides over the trial of Marquis "Bird" Hilton for the murder of Gant, during which he is amused by Omar Little's testimony, and pleased to give Bird a strict sentence. Phelan reconciles with McNulty in Season three when the judge authorizes a wiretap on Russell "Stringer" Bell's cell phone.

174

Gary DiPasquale
Played by: Gary D'Addario Appears in: Season two: "Undertow". Season four: "Corner Boys"; and "Final Grades". Season five: "Not for Attribution"; and "30". Gary DiPasquale is an Assistant State's Attorney and serves as the Grand Jury Prosecutor.[8] DiPasquale is an associate of Bunk Moreland who assists the police in various Homicide cases. The Grand Jury first appear in an unsuccessful summons of Frank Sobotka's union in connection with the investigation of the deaths of thirteen Jane Does found DOA in a shipping container.[9][10] DiPasquale then appears in Season 4 involving a summons of Old Face Andre with a perjury threat[11][12] and with a court order to obtain DNA evidence from Stanfield Organization enforcers "Snoop" Pearson and Chris Partlow.[13][14][14] In Season 5, DiPasquale is prominent in obtaining depositions for the Clay Davis trial.[15][16] DiPasquale is later revealed to be responsible for selling sealed grand jury indictments to defense attorneys including Maurice Levy. Detective Lester Freamon concludes that DiPasquale is selling the indictments because amongst those working in the courthouse, DiPasquale's finances show that he took out a third mortgage on his home and has annual gambling losses that are more than three times his salary. Freamon convinces DiPasquale to cooperate as an informant, and has DiPasquale incriminate Levy in a single party consent telephone conversation. DiPasquale's actions are later covered up as part of a deal between Levy and prosecutor Rhonda Pearlman on charges against the Stanfield Organization.[17][18] The character is played by the series technical advisor Gary D'Addario,[19][20] the shift lieutenant for the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit featured in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets book.[21]

Prison staff
Dwight Tilghman
Played by: Antonio D. Charity Appears in season two: "Collateral Damage" (uncredited); "Hot Shots" and "Hard Cases". Tilghman was a corrections officer at Maryland Correctional Institute who was secretly involved in the prison drug trade. He harassed prisoner Wee-Bey Brice after Wee-Bey confessed to the murder of one of his relatives. Fellow prisoner Avon Barksdale tried to negotiate a truce but Tilghman refused, so Avon had Stringer Bell locate his drug supplier. Bell paid the supplier, Butchie, to give Tilghman tainted heroin, leading to the deaths of several inmates. An investigation was launched and Avon informed on Tilghman in exchange for an early parole hearing. When prison staff searched Tilghman's car, they found evidence which Shamrock had subtly planted to corroborate Avon's story, and Tilghman was arrested.

Law enforcement characters of The Wire

175

References
[1] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [2] "Character profile - Rupert Bond" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ img/ castcrew/ character_season05/ character/ rupertbond. jpg). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [6] Dominic West; Richard Price(story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-17). "Took". The Wire. episode 7. season 5. HBO. [7] "Character profile - Daniel Phelan" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ daniel_phelan. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12. [8] "Character profile - Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ gary_dipasquale. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12. [9] David Simon, Ed Burns (2003-06-29). "Undertow". The Wire. episode 5. season 2. HBO. [10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 18 Undertow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode18. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-24. [11] Agnieszka Holand; Richard Price (teleplay), Ed Burns & Richard Price (story) (2004-11-05). "Corner Boys". The Wire. episode 08. season 4. HBO. [12] "Episode guide - episode 45 Corner Boys" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode08. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-11-01. [13] Ernest Dickerson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2004-12-10). "Final Grades". The Wire. episode 13. season 4. HBO. [14] "The Wire episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2007-10-17. [15] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [16] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [17] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [18] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 30" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [19] "The Wire season 1 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_1. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [20] "The Wire season 2 crew" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ crew/ season_2. shtml). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [21] Simon, David (1991, 2006). Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. New York: Owl Books. pp.hoto insert section.

Rhonda Pearlman

176

Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Deirdre Lovejoy Information Aliases Gender Occupation Title Spouse(s) Ronnie Female Prosecutor, Judge Baltimore City Judge Jimmy McNulty (Ex-Boyfriend), Cedric Daniels (Boyfriend)

Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show. Later in the series, she begins a relationship with Cedric Daniels.

Biography
As a leading Assistant State's Attorney in the narcotics division, Pearlman has been a guiding legal presence through all of the wiretap detail's investigations. A tough prosecutor and a stickler for process, Pearlman's grasp of the nuance of surveillance law and the legalities of complex casework proves invaluable to the investigations of Barksdale, Sobotka and Stanfield. One of the most morally upright figures on the show, she is ambitious nonetheless, and often worries about the political implications of the casework. She once had a soft spot for Jimmy McNulty, leading to an on-again-off-again affair that was eventually discovered by McNulty's wife - and ultimately contributed to the breakup of the marriage. Although McNulty was honest enough to give Pearlman no hint of a future together, he would occasionally show up drunk on her doorstep. This ended when her relationship with Daniels began.

Season 1
Pearlman was the ASA heading the Narcotics Cases in Season 1, assisting Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' detail in prosecuting the Barksdale Organization, a violent drug crew whom Detective Jimmy McNulty suspected of beating the Baltimore Police's homicide unit out of 10 murders. She appears telling Daniels to "make lemonade" with the lack of quality police he has been given and appears as the liaison between the detail and judge Daniel Phelan on legal matters. She approves the unit's level of "exhaustion" of conventional means a requirement to have a wiretap authorized helping them make a case against Avon Barksdale. Throughout the season, she has a sexual relationship with McNulty. When Detective Lester Freamon begins following the Barksdale Organizarion's money trail, several developers and politicians are implicated and Pearlman's boss, Steven Demper, becomes interested in the case. As the State's Attorney for Baltimore City Demper is more interested in his elected position than quality prosecutions and threatens her job. When Barksdale's nephew D'Angelo is arrested for drug possession, she and McNulty try to squeeze him into a witness protection program. The attempt fails when his mother intervenes, and Avon Barksdale gets a lighter prison sentence.

Rhonda Pearlman

177

Season 2
Pearlman continues her casual relationship with Jimmy McNulty but was not as involved with an investigation run by Daniels due to the lack of drug cases. As McNulty is attempting to rebuild his marriage and cope with his unwanted posting to the marine unit, he and Pearlman end their relationship. When Daniels' now-permanent Major Case Unit investigates Frank Sobotka and The Greek's illegal activities at the port, Pearlman sees the opportunity to prosecute a large-scale drug-smuggling operation. The detail, along with the FBI, manages to arrest Sobotka and other drug dealers connected to The Greek, and Pearlman tries to negotiate testimony from Frank Sobotka and an Eastside Drug Dealer named "White Mike" based on their cooperation with the FBI and BPD. The case hits a dead end when the Greek's inside man in the FBI, Ernst Koutris, leaks information leading to the execution of Frank Sobotka.

Season 3
Pearlman is the first to notice Lieutenant Daniels is living in the detail office, having separated from his wife. Pearlman makes a pass at Daniels, beginning a relationship that continues throughout the season. Daniels however is skeptical about making their relationship public, as he is still posing as Marla's husband in order to help her bid for city council. Daniels claims that it will look bad for Marla's political career if he is seen to be separated from her and with a white woman. The detail is now chasing a drug dealer, Kintell Williamson, who is suspected in a number of murders, a task that annoys McNulty. In the meantime, Avon Barksdale is granted parole despite Pearlman's recommendation to the contrary. When McNulty links a number of murders to Stringer Bell, the detail changes targets back to Bell and the Barksdale Organization. The detail sees disposable cell phones are being used and Pearlman and Daniels go to the wireless provider, but find them to be unhelpful, even after threatening them with bad publicity. Eventually Pearlman relies on Daniels to use his FBI connections to get a wiretap. As soon as the wiretap goes up, Stringer Bell is murdered, but not before providing information to Major Colvin, which is then passed on to the detail. The information identifies Avon Barksdale's safehouse allowing Pearlman to sign off a search warrant, leading to the arrest of Barksdale and many of his people. After the arrest, Daniels is promoted to Major and he and Pearlman celebrate.

Season 4
With Daniels now a Major, Freamon is the guiding force behind the Major Case Unit and manages to tie evidence from the Barksdale money train to several politicians and developers who are on good terms with mayor Clarence Royce. Pearlman is reluctant to sign off the subpoenas as she feels she will be demoted for enabling an investigation that would interfere with the election of her boss, Steven Demper. She is also worried about Rupert Bond, an African American candidate for State's Attorney winning the election, as she fears he will "bounce the white girl" to a demoted position due to her race in majority African American Baltimore. The subpoenas are served and delayed by Burrell and Rawls who then put Lieutenant Charles Marimow in charge of Major Crimes to obstruct Freamon. Demper loses the election and Pearlman is promoted to deputy chief prosecutor in charge of violent crimes. She is valued for her courage by the newly elected Rupert Bond who is more interested in good prosecutions than his predecessor Steven Demper. Pearlman is shocked, but pleased with the promotion and also to find that Daniels is promoted to Colonel and Criminal Investigations Division commander and has influence with newly elected Mayor Tommy Carcetti. Her first case in VCU begins with numerous bodies found in vacant houses.

Rhonda Pearlman

178

Season 5
After more than a year of investigation the Major Crimes Unit has failed to bring a case against Marlo Stanfield for the vacant house murders. Pearlman is dismayed when the investigation, and the unit, are shut down because of funding issues. The unit has also been building a corruption case against Senator Clay Davis which is also jeopardized. Along with her domestic partner Cedric Daniels she appeals to State's Attorney Rupert Bond to discuss the problem with Mayor Tommy Carcetti. Despite their efforts the Stanfield investigation is still closed down but Pearlman is allowed to keep detectives Leander Sydnor and Lester Freamon to prepare the Davis case.[1][2] After Maurice Levy becomes aware that the wiretap against Marlo is illegal, Pearlman offers him a deal: Stanfield goes free but retires permanently from the drug trade. Otherwise, she threatens to use the wiretap in court, reminding Levy that his sentence for illegally purchasing court documents and failure to report the wiretap will be longer than hers. Pearlman works with the detectives to prepare the case.[3][4] She then begins a series of witness depositions with the Grand Jury. Her witnesses include Senator Davis' driver Damien Lavelle Price.[5][6] Freamon and Sydnor uncover new evidence that would justify a federal prosecution of Davis. Pearlman presents their findings to Bond but he elects to keep the case local and ignore the potential for additional charges. Bond instructs Pearlman to stage a deposition for Davis himself and in order to mark Davis as his target stages a photo opportunity for reporters as Davis leaves the courthouse.[7] Pearlman is thrilled when her partner Cedric Daniels is touted by the papers as a potential replacement for Commissioner Burrell. Daniels is concerned that his history of corruption might surface, but does not confide in Pearlman.[5][6] Daniels' fears are allayed when Burrell accepts a deal to leave quietly and Pearlman attends a press conference at which Daniels' promotion is announced.[7] In the end-of-season montage, she is shown on the bench wearing judges robes and recusing herself from a case in which Daniels is a defense attorney.

References
[1] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [2] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [3] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Maurice Levy

179

Maurice Levy
Maurice "Maury" Levy
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Michael Kostroff Information Gender Occupation Male Defense attorney

Maurice "Maury" Levy is a fictional character in the HBO drama The Wire, played by Michael Kostroff. He is a skilled defense attorney and was kept on retainer by the Barksdale Organization, representing the organization's members at trials and advising Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell on how to avoid investigations for drug trafficking. Levy is presented as corrupt and unscrupulous, willing to defend any drug client without compunction.

Biography
Season 1
In the pilot episode, "The Target", Levy represented Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale at the Pooh Blanchard murder trial and successfully returned a not guilty verdict. Levy's case was strengthened when Nakeesha Lyles, a key witness, changed her story and refused to identify Barksdale in court. The next time D'Angelo was arrested, Levy rebuked him for writing a letter of condolence at McNulty and Bunk's urging to the family of a murdered witness. He was able to get the charges dropped against young Barksdale dealer Bodie Broadus in juvenile court, claiming to the judge that the work was part of his firm's pro bono outreach program. Levy also advised Stringer Bell and Avon on how to protect themselves when they suspected they were being investigated. His assertion that they should tie up any loose ends, particularly those not bound by ties of loyalty to them, led to the death of Nakeesha Lyles. When Barksdale front owner Orlando was arrested for attempting to purchase drugs, Levy visited him in prison and instructed him to sign papers removing his name from the liquor license of his club. Levy later represented Barksdale soldier Savino when he was arrested following a failed undercover operation, in the course of which Orlando and Detective Greggs were shot. Levy was able to limit Savino's charge to a 3-year plea bargain for an attempt to supply fake narcotics, as he was not directly implicated in the shooting. Later, Levy was instrumental in damage-control when the Barksdale organization was struck by multiple arrests. He ensured that D'Angelo was not kept in police protection, allowing his mother to convince him not to testify against the Barksdale organization.

Season 2
Levy successfully negotiated Avon's first parole hearing in exchange for information on a corrupt guard following the deaths of several inmates. Avon had actually set up the deaths to frame the guard, with the reduced sentence as his goal. He was less successful in his defense of "Bird" Hilton in the William Gant murder trial, particularly struggling with the cross-examination of Omar Little: when Levy attempted to undermine him as a credible witness, describing him as an amoral parasite feeding off the Baltimore drug trade, Omar pointed out that the same was true of Levy, saying "I got the shotgun; you got the briefcase. It's all in the game." Omar's accusation left Levy speechless, and Bird was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Daniel Phelan, though Levy maintains

Maurice Levy (accurately) that Omar is perjuring himself when he claims to have witnessed the crime.

180

Season 3
After Stringer is duped by Senator Clay Davis, Levy chastises him, saying that he was aware of Davis's reputation for taking contributions without exerting any actual influence. Levy continued to defend Avon and most of his organization when a second wiretap investigation led to a mass prosecution. Avon was returned to prison. Levy also represented Poot Carr, who received a four-year sentence.

Season 4
Levy is seen briefly in season four, representing Anthony Wardell in the high-profile Braddock murder case. He allowed his client to undergo a polygraph test because he was convinced of his innocence on the charge.[1][2]

Season 5
Levy hires ex-police officer Thomas "Herc" Hauk as an investigator. Levy encourages Herc to use the firm's expense account to pay for officers tabs, in exchange for information.[3][4] After being introduced to Marlo Stanfield by Proposition Joe, Levy counsels Stanfield on money laundering.[5] Levy later suspects (on the basis of information provided by Herc) that Marlo's arrest is due to an illegal wiretap and sees an opportunity to get the charges against Marlo's organization dropped. Levy however faces legal problems of his own when Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale admits to Detective Lester Freamon that he has been selling copies of court documents and search warrants to Levy to be used to tip off various drug dealers. Realizing that Levy is legally vulnerable, but also aware that the evidence against the Stanfield Organization is compromised, ASA Rhonda Pearlman negotiates the charges against Stanfield's crew: it is agreed that Marlo will not face criminal charges if he retires permanently from the drug trade, Levy will not be prosecuted, the State's Attorney's office will not be charged with allowing an illegal wiretap, Chris Partlow will plead to life without parole for the vacant murders, and the remaining Stanfield Lieutenants will plead to possession charges. Levy is last seen in the final episode of season five, socializing with Marlo Stanfield at a downtown evening event and introducing him to different businessmen.[6][7]

Analysis and origins

Levy is among The Wire's least sympathetic characters; Slate writer David Plotz describes him as "the most repulsive piece of garbage in the city of Baltimore."[8] He is also the show's most explicitly Jewish character. Avon Barksdale's sister Brianna refers to him as "that Jew lawyer," and Levy is shown using Yiddish words (for instance, saying Herc was mishpoceh, meaning "family" and describing Clay Davis as a goniff, or thief) praising his wife's brisket, criticizing McNulty for "dragging me from the Levy family preserve on a Friday night," etc.[9] Some writers have suggested that the character reflects some anti-semitic stereotypes.[10][11][12] Keith Kahn-Harris, for example, writes that "Levys crookedness, his cynical exploitation of the drug trade and his seduction of Herc all recall common negative stereotypes of Jews as sinister, venal and secretive."[9] David Simon, who is Jewish, has explained the decision to make the character Jewish:[13] Why did we make this guy Jewish? Because when I was covering the drug trade for 13 years for the Sun, most of the major drug lawyers were Jewish. Some of them are now disbarred and others are not but came pretty close. Anyone who is anyone in law enforcement in Baltimore knows the three or four guys Maury Levy is patterned on. If I have people from every other tribe in Baltimore portrayed negatively, everyone is maligned in some way, how can I not do that to the Jewish guy? How can I pull that punch? At that point I'm just being hypercritical. Here are good people from my own tribe who say how can you do that, and my answer is how can I not?

Maurice Levy Rhonda Pearlman, "one of a handful of generally positive characters in the show," is also Jewish, and Kahn-Harris argues that Jay Landsman, a somewhat sympathetic character, is Jewish as well.[9][13] However, Kahn-Harris writes that "Their Jewishness is not referred to as explicitly as Levys is and it is not treated as a significant source of either characters strengths and weaknesses."[9]

181

References
[1] "Character profile - Maurice "Maury" Levy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ maury_levy. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-24. [2] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [6] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 -30-" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . [8] Plotz, David (2008-03-10). "Week 10: Spoiler Alert! Maury Levy is Jewish?" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2181449/ entry/ 2186182/ ). Slate. . Retrieved 24 November 2009. [9] Kahn-Harris, Keith (2009-05-29). "The Politics of Brisket: Jews and The Wire" (http:/ / www. darkmatter101. org/ site/ 2009/ 05/ 29/ the-politics-of-brisket-jews-and-the-wire/ ). darkmatter. . [10] Goldberg, Jeffrey (2008-03-10). "It's Time for the Cheese Course!" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2181449/ entry/ 2186169/ ). Slate. . Retrieved 24 November 2009. "I had no idea that the shyster drug lawyer with the lascivious lips who secretly controls the drug cartels was Jewish until Maury started talking about mishpoche and brisket. I thought the episode laid that on a bit thicklike Entourage-thick." [11] Michaelson, Jay (2006-03-03). "A Jew and a Lawyer Are Sitting in a Bar..." (http:/ / www. forward. com/ articles/ 6639/ ). The Forward. . Retrieved 24 November 2009. [12] Owen, Paul (2009-06-30). "The Wire re-up: season two, episode six Levy and Omar: who is the real criminal?" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ media/ organgrinder/ 2009/ jun/ 23/ wire-television). The Guardian. . Retrieved 24 November 2009. [13] Curt Schleier (2006). "Wire creator finds a muse on the streets of Baltimore" (http:/ / www. jewishsf. com/ content/ 2-0-/ module/ displaystory/ story_id/ 30533/ edition_id/ 573/ format/ html/ displaystory. html). jewishsf.com. . Retrieved 2006-12-28.

182

Street-level characters
Street-level characters of The Wire
Street level characters comprise a large part of the cast on the fictional HBO drama series The Wire. Characters in this section range from homeless drug addicts up to drug king-pins in charge of entire criminal empires.

East Side
Frog
Played by: Gary "D.Reign" Appears in season two: "Undertow"; "Backwash" and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). season five: "-30-" (uncredited) Frog is a white street-level dealer whose allegiances are never made clear, though from the photo on the crime board in Season 2 he is shown with Petey Dixon. He is seen early in season two distributing a package for Ziggy Sobotka (and stealing from him in the process), and later negotiates with Nick Sobotka to distribute another. During the early stages of season two's investigation, he sells heroin to Thomas "Herc" Hauk and is photographed by Kima Greggs and Ellis Carver. He can also be seen for a split second in the series finale during the closing montage.

"White" Mike McArdle

Played by: Brook Yeaton Appears in season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Stray Rounds" (uncredited); "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm" (Uncredited). White Mike is a mid-level South Baltimore drug dealer from Curtis Bay with his own territory. He supplied Ziggy Sobotka with packages of narcotics to distribute but their relationship soured when Ziggy failed to make adequate profit from the package. He is one of several characters in The Wire who are fond of strawberry soda.[1] McArdle was supplied by The Greek's smuggling operation and was arrested as part of an investigation into that operation. He was quick to turn against his suppliers and gave up all the information he had.[2] McNulty's last name was originally McArdle, according to a draft of the pilot script. Brook Yeaton is also an on set dresser for the show.[3]

Others
Bubbles
Bubbles is a heroin addict with a vast knowledge of the streets of Baltimore. He becomes an informant after a friend whom he introduced to the drug lifestyle got badly beaten when using false money upon Bubbles' advice. Bubbles volunteers information and creatively points out key figures to the police in exchange for small amounts of cash and him and his friend escaping prosecution for a drug-related crime. Bubbles also befriends Kima, and despite their different situations, there is a level of mutual respect and empathy.

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Brother Mouzone
Played by: Michael Potts Appears in: Season two: "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Brother Mouzone, meaning "judicious" in Arabic, is a drug enforcer and hitman from New York City. "The Brother" does not fit the usual picture of drug-trade "muscle", always wearing a suit, bowtie, and glasses, speaking politely and precisely. He is also quite erudite, reading magazines such as Harper's, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The Nation. His dress, along with an extremely proper and pious persona is a manner typically associated with the Nation of Islam, more particularly its paramilitary wing, the Fruit of Islam, although it is never explicitly stated that he belongs to either organization. He reveals himself as a Muslim by mouthing "Allahu akbar" repeatedly after Omar shoots him, and he believes he is about to die. However, he is also depicted drinking alcohol, which is forbidden in the Islamic religion. He is always accompanied by his "man" Lamar, who runs errands for Mouzone. Avon Barksdale hires him to protect the weakened Barksdale operation from Proposition Joe's dealers, who are working the Barksdale towers as part of a secret agreement between Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe. Mouzone brings in a team of soldiers and promptly shoots Cheese Wagstaff with rat shot. He then informs Cheese that the next bullet in the chamber is a copper-jacketed hollow point bullet of his own design. Cheese and his dealers flee. To maintain his alliance with Proposition Joe, Stringer dupes Omar Little into believing that Mouzone is responsible for the brutal murder of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. After Omar shoots Mouzone the two speak, leading Omar to realize that he has been tricked. He calls an ambulance for Mouzone and departs. While recovering in hospital Mouzone informs Stringer that their agreement is "absolved", and later returns to New York. In season three, Mouzone returns to Baltimore. He locates Omar's boyfriend Dante after seeking advice from Baltimore local Vinson. Mouzone beats Dante until he reveals Omar's whereabouts. Rather than exact vengeance on Omar for shooting him, he suggests that they find and kill Stringer Bell. Avon, whose relationship with Stringer has become strained after Stringer revealed that he was responsible for D'Angelo Barksdale's death, reluctantly gives Mouzone a time and a place to find Stringer after Mouzone threatens his connection to New York and his supply of drugs. Omar and Mouzone plan an ambush and kill Stringer together. Before returning to New York, Mouzone releases Dante and gives Omar his weapon to dispose of.[4][5]

The Deacon
Played by: Melvin Williams Appears in Season three: "All Due Respect", "Straight and True", "Back Burners", "Moral Midgetry", "Slapstick", "Reformation", Season four: "Home Rooms", "Refugees", "Margin of Error", "That's Got His Own". Season five: "Late Editions" The Deacon is a West Side church figure who is involved in many community projects. He also has many contacts within the citys academic population. He is a friend of teacher Grace Sampson and helps her ex-boyfriend Dennis "Cutty" Wise when he is released after a long prison sentence. Initially he tries to encourage Cutty to enroll in a GED program, but Cutty is not interested in this idea. The deacon then helps Cutty to open a community boxing gym. He puts Cutty in touch with State Delegate Odell Watkins through the politically influential Reverend Frank Reid to help with obtaining the necessary permits for the gym. He also helps Cutty to get a paying job working as a school custodian at Edward Tilghman Middle, where Grace teaches the eighth grade. The Deacon is also friends with Howard "Bunny" Colvin. When Colvin was Western District police commander the Deacon often served as his conscience. Colvin started three drug tolerant zones in his district and the deacon was

Street-level characters of The Wire dismayed at the poor conditions addicts faced in these areas and convinced Colvin to involve public health academics in providing services for the addicts now he had gathered them into an easy to reach area. Colvin was forced to retire because of his actions and the deacon found him a new job working with a sociologist in studying the prevention of repeat violent offender behavior. In his youth Melvin Williams, the actor who plays the Deacon, was a real-life drug kingpin who was arrested by series writer Ed Burns in 1984 when the latter was a Baltimore city police officer.[6] Creator David Simon was responsible for covering the arrest for The Baltimore Sun at the time.[7] Williams received a 34-year sentence for his crimes and much of the evidence against him came from a wiretap investigation like the one featured in the first season of the show.[7]

184

Dee-Dee
Played by: Genevieve Hudson-Price Appears in Season three: "Moral Midgetry" Season four: "Corner Boys" Season five: "Unconfirmed Reports" Dee-Dee is a drug addict. She is first seen in the Hamsterdam area buying an eight-ball of cocaine from a car.[8] A year later she is living in West Baltimore and working as a prostitute.[9] Fifteen months later again she is seen at a narcotics anonymous meeting.[10] She is played by Genevieve Hudson-Price, the daughter of author Richard Price, who writes for the show.

Hucklebuck
Played by: Gil Deeble Appears in: Season one: "The Wire" Season two: "Stray Rounds" (uncredited) Season three: "Middle Ground" (uncredited) Season five: "More with Less" Hucklebuck is a drug addict and friend to Bubbles and Johnny. He often assists them on their "capers" to make money for drugs. He is a part of Johnny's copper house robbery scam in season 1. Hucklebuck continues to live on the street when Bubbles is in recovery in season 5.

Lamar
Played by: DeAndre McCullough Appears in: Season two: "Storm Warnings" (uncredited); "Bad Dreams" (uncredited) and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Season three: "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished". Lamar is the assistant and inept bodyguard of New York mercenary Brother Mouzone. He has accompanied Mouzone on both his visits to Baltimore. On their first trip they worked at the Franklin Terrace high rises for Avon Barksdale guarding his territory against East Side drug dealers. Lamar failed to protect his charge against Omar Little on this trip. He was distracted by a dog and knocked unconscious by Omar while guarding a motel room door. His failure allowed Omar to enter the room and shoot Brother Mouzone.

Street-level characters of The Wire Brother Mouzone recovered and returned to Baltimore for revenge. He had Lamar seek out Omar in various gay bars, having learned that he was homosexual. Lamar resented the task and his visceral homophobia made him confrontational with those he came across while searching for Omar. Eventually Lamar was approached by Omars boyfriend Dante allowing Mouzone to capture him and find Omar. DeAndre McCullough, the actor who plays Lamar, was profiled in David Simon and Edward Burns's book and television miniseries The Corner.[11]

185

Raylene Lee
Played by: Shamika Cotton Appears in: Season four: "Refugees", "Corner Boys", "Misgivings", "A New Day" (uncredited) and "That's Got His Own" Season five: "Transitions" and "The Dickensian Aspect" Raylene Lee is Michael Lee and Aaron "Bug" Manigault's mother. She is a drug addict.

Devar Manigault
Played by: Cyrus Farmer Appears in: Season four: "Corner Boys", "Know Your Place" and "Misgivings" Devar Manigault is Raylene Lee's domestic partner, father to her younger son Aaron "Bug" Manigault. Fans frequently refer to him as the stepfather of Raylene's older son Michael Lee, though he never actually married her. Devar is feared by Michael and it is implied that Michael suffered sexual abuse by Devar. Shortly after Devar is released from prison he is savagely beaten to death by Chris Partlow at Michael's behest. Because Chris leaves DNA at the crime scene, he is ultimately arrested for this murder.

Squeak
Played by: Mia Arnice Chambers Appears in season three: "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished". Squeak is the girlfriend of Bernard, a low level member of the Barksdale organization. Bernard was responsible for supplying the organization with disposable mobile phones and was told to buy no more than two phones at any one outlet and provide receipts for his purchases. Squeak's nagging convinced Bernard to start breaking these rules. Squeak was an old acquaintance of Bubbles and their association allowed the police to use her as an inroad to the Barksdale organization. Bubbles put Squeak and Bernard in touch with Lester Freamon who was a posing as a conman who could provide them with phones at lower price. With Squeak's encouragement, Bernard accepted Freamon's offer and began buying solely from him on the condition that he provide him with receipts. Freamon gave Bernard pre-wiretapped phones that eventually brought down the Barksdale organization. When the investigation was closed with the arrest of Avon Barksdale Bernard and Squeak were also brought in. Bernard joked that he could not wait to go to jail to get away from Squeak.

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Sherrod
Played by: Rashad Orange Appears in Season three: "All Due Respect" (uncredited); "Mission Accomplished" (uncredited) Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Unto Others"; "A New Day"; "That's Got His Own". Sherrod is a young homeless boy who is befriended by Bubbles. He has been living on the streets since his mother succumbed to drug addiction. He last regularly attended school in the fifth grade at Steuart Hill elementary, though Bubbles tried to get him to go back at some point between the third and fourth seasons. As the fourth season starts, Bubbles is selling small items from a shopping cart to get by, and is trying to train Sherrod to run his own business. Sherrod's math skills are lacking, and Bubbles insists that he return to school. Bubbles visits Edward Tilghman middle school with Sherrod and convinces the Assistant Principal, Marcia Donnelly, to take him in. Sherrod only attends class once, when Bubbles forces him to, cutting class instead to go on the corner and deal drugs for "Jojo". He tries to fake doing homework by bringing books from school back to the squat he shares with Bubbles. When Bubbles finds Sherrod dealing on a school day, he tries to talk to him and is attacked by an addict who needs money. Bubbles then tells Sherrod that he cannot stay with him any more unless he returns to school. Sherrod continues to deal drugs and is involved in an assault on Namond Brice when they vie for territory. He also becomes a drug addict. Eventually, he returns to Bubbles, saying he wants to get away but he owes Jojo money. Bubbles offers Sherrod the chance to return home and says he will help with the debt. Bubbles, however, had previously prepared a lethal "hot shot" of narcotics he intended to use to kill another addict who had repeatedly harassed and traumatized Bubbles. Sherrod finds the vial Bubbles has prepared and takes it himself, dying soon afterwards. [12]

Walon
Played by: Steve Earle Appears in: Season one: "One Arrest", "Game Day" and "The Cost". Season four: "Final Grades". Season five: "Unconfirmed Reports", "React Quotes", "Late Editions", and "30". Walon is an HIV-positive recovering drug addict. He first appears in season one when Bubbles and Johnny see him speaking at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Bubbles is moved by the strength Walon conveys in his speech. They see Walon again in the projects trying to get his nephew to give up drugs. Bubbles' conversations with Walon help him realise that he wants to get clean. When he makes a serious attempt, Walon gives him advice on keeping clean, which Bubbles is unable to stick with. Years later, when Bubbles is locked in a medical rehab facility, Walon visits him to again help him with his sobriety and grief. In season five he acts as Bubbles' sponsor, pushing him to be more open about his struggles and the death of Sherrod. Walon is played by singer/songwriter and recovering heroin addict Steve Earle.[13] Earle also performs the theme song for Season 5, and his track "I Feel Alright" is featured in the montage at the end of Season 2.

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Johnny Weeks
Played by: Leo Fitzpatrick Appears in: Season one: "The Target"; "The Pager"; "One Arrest"; "Game Day" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Hard Cases" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Time after Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Back Burners"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". In season one Johnny is Bubbles' best friend and a drug addict with notoriously bad luck. He is naive and enthusiastic for "the game", allowing Bubbles to play the role of teacher. In the pilot episode he is badly beaten by Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr and other dealers after trying to pass counterfeit money to D'Angelo Barksdale's operation. This spurs Bubbles to become a police informant but Johnny disapproves and takes no part in it except when arrested by police. While in the hospital for that beating, Johnny discovers he is HIV positive; he also undergoes a colostomy operation. Unlike Bubbles he shows no interest in giving up his addiction and continues thievery and various other scams with Bubbles, despite carrying a colostomy bag. In the season three finale he dies from an overdose and his body is discovered in a vacant house in the "Hamsterdam" free zone that Major Colvin had set up.[14] Johnny is based on a young white homeless addict that David Simon met while researching The Corner. This man would follow Simon's subject, drug addict Gary McCullough, around.[15]

Dennis "Cutty" Wise

After getting out of prison he joins back up with the Barksdale crew as muscle, but cannot complete a task he was assigned. Instead, he leaves the criminal world and starts up a boxing center in an attempt to reach out to local street youths. He is later wounded trying to talk one of them out of a life of crime. He reappears in Season 5 to briefly train Dukie as well as to give him advice on how to deal with people that give him trouble.

References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] David Simon, Ed Burns (2003-06-08). "Collateral Damage". The Wire. episode 2. season 2. HBO. David Simon, George P. Pelecanos (2003-08-17). "Bad Dreams". The Wire. episode 11. season 2. HBO. Brook Yeaton imdb profile (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ name/ nm0947092/ ) "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-27. "Character profile - Brother Mouzone" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ brother_mouzone. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-16. [6] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [7] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved 2007-10-14. [8] Agnieszka Holland; Richard Price (teleplay), David Simon & Richard Price (story) (2004-11-14). "Moral Midgetry". The Wire. episode 8. season 3. HBO. [9] Agnieszka Holand; Richard Price (teleplay), Ed Burns & Richard Price (story) (2004-11-05). "Corner Boys". The Wire. episode 08. season 4. HBO. [10] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [11] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. p.202. [12] "Character profile Sherrod" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ sherrod. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-10-29. [13] "Character profile - Walon" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ walon. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-12. [14] "Character profile - Johnny" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ johnny. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-24. [15] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO.

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Omar Little
Omar Little
First appearance "The Buys" (episode 1.03) Last appearance "Clarifications" (episode 5.08) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Michael K. Williams Information Gender Family Male Josephine, grandmother; "No heart" Anthony, brother

Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game". Omar, who is gay, has had three partners on the show. Omar makes a point of disliking profanity; he disapproves when his partners curse, and rarely does so himself.

Biography
Omar was orphaned at a young age, and raised by his grandmother Josephine, who is largely responsible for his strict moral code, despite his criminal occupation. He attended Edmondson High School in West Baltimore, a few years behind Bunk Moreland. For more than ten years, Omar has made his living holding up drug dealers, and staying alive "one day at a time." He is legendary around Baltimore for his characteristic shotgun, trench coat, facial scar, and whistling "The Farmer in the Dell", or "A Hunting We Will Go" when stalking the streets. Every time people see or hear him coming they run, even the children. He repeatedly demonstrates exceptional skill at surveillance and as a stick-up man and shooter, further contributing to his feared status as an efficient professional. He is highly intelligent and cunning, consistently executing well-laid plans, anticipating moves, and outsmarting his adversaries. Once a month, he accompanies his elderly grandmother to church. He has a brother, "No Heart" Anthony, who is incarcerated for a jewelry store robbery in the early '90s. Omar has a fondness for Newport cigarettes and Honey Nut Cheerios, though several episodes indicated that he often had difficulty in locating the latter. He often carries a shotgun or large caliber handguns in .44 Magnum (Desert Eagle or Colt Anaconda), .45 ACP semi-automatics, and .50 Action Express.

Season 1
After Omar, his boyfriend Brandon, and John Bailey rob a stash house, Avon Barksdale puts out a contract on the trio (doubling the reward once he discovers Omar is gay). Bailey is killed, and Brandon is tortured, mutilated, and killed for keeping silent on Omar's whereabouts. He is then left in a public place so as to be seen and quickly found. In response, Omar, emotionally distraught, cooperates with Detectives Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland, providing key information leading to the arrest of Barksdale's soldier Bird, and agrees to be a witness against him at his trial (though it is unlikely that Omar was an actual witness to the crime). While meeting with the police, he observes information which he uses to exact further revenge against the Barksdale Organization, killing Stinkum and wounding Wee-Bey Brice. Omar even gets a shot at Barksdale himself, by giving stolen drugs to Eastside drug kingpin Proposition Joe for Avon's pager number. He tails Avon to Orlando's strip club, pages him and waits for him to emerge into the open.

Omar Little Avon narrowly escapes when Wee-Bey arrives and shoots Omar in the shoulder. Afterward, Stringer Bell offers Omar a truce, planning to kill him when he relaxes his guard. Omar realizes Stringer's duplicity and leaves town, temporarily relocating to New York City. In the last scene of the first season, he is seen robbing a New York drug dealer, merely saying that it's "all in the game, yo. All in the game."

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Season 2
Omar returns to Baltimore with a new boyfriend, Dante. He quickly returns to his old business, targeting the Barksdales exclusively, and connects with Tosha and Kimmy, stick-up artistes who join his crew. Omar provides false testimony against Bird in open court as he had promised to do. Unabashed and unapologetic about who he is, he wins over the jury with his wit; when Barksdale attorney Maurice Levy calls him a parasite who thrives on the drug trade, Omar points out that Levy is essentially the same thing. In the end, the jury accepts Omar's testimony, and Bird is sent to prison for life. Assistant State's Attorney Ilene Nathan promises Omar a favor as a thank you for his testimony. While waiting to be called to the witness stand, Omar helps the bailiff with a crossword puzzle clue, explaining that the Greek god of war is called Ares. He mentions that he was fascinated by Greek mythology in middle school, implying that he was a precocious and intelligent student as a youth. Around this time, as Stringer Bell extends his control over the Barksdale operation, Avon hires Brother Mouzone from New York as new muscle. With the threat to his secret takeover apparent, Stringer arranges a meeting through Proposition Joe and Omar's advisor and confidant Butchie, where Stringer tells Omar that Mouzone was the one who had tortured and killed Brandon. Omar finds Mouzone and shoots him once, but when Mouzone reveals that Omar had been given false information, Omar realizes he has been duped and lets Mouzone live, even calling the paramedics for him. He redirects his murderous intent at Stringer himself.[1][2]

Season 3
Omar and his crew continue robbing Barksdale stash houses, even though they are more difficult and riskier than other potential targets. Tosha is killed during a raid on a Barksdale house, and Omar contemplates giving up his war against the Barksdale organization. Detective Bunk Moreland, investigating the deaths, makes Omar feel further guilt over the incident, giving a speech about how the neighborhood used to be closer-knit and with less violence. "And now all we got are bodies. And predatory motherfuckers like you." Bunk mentions that when he went to the scene he found children arguing about whose turn it was "to be Omar." Omar provides him with a lost police pistol as a way of making amends. Under orders from Stringer Bell, two of Avon's soldiers open fire on Omar while he is taking his grandmother to church. Omar forces her into a taxi, but she loses her best hat in the gunfire. This blatant violation of the longstanding "Sunday truce" between rival gangs, combined with the risk Omar's grandmother was put in during the incident, leads Omar to re-dedicate himself to war with the Barksdales, though Kimmy opts out. Avon, outraged at Stringer, forces the men responsible for the attack to buy Omar's grandmother a new hat. Meanwhile, Brother Mouzone captures Dante, and forces him to reveal Omar's hiding place. Dante gives in, in contrast with Brandon, who never cracked. Mouzone suggests an alliance against Stringer. Together, Omar and Mouzone ambush Stringer during a meeting with Andy Krawczyk and murder him. Brother Mouzone sets Dante free and returns to New York, while Omar is tasked with disposing of Mouzone's gun, as well as the shotgun that killed Stringer. Both weapons are later thrown into the harbor. Omar is shown to be suspicious of the severity of Dante's injuries and his release by Mouzone is the last time he is seen; it is implied that Omar left him for giving him up so easily.

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Season 4
Omar feels dissatisfied with how easy work has become after the collapse of the Barksdale organization and worries that pursuing easy thefts would make him soft, ("How you expect to run with the wolves come night when you spend all day sparring with the puppies") so he and new boyfriend Renaldo pull a robbery of one of Marlo Stanfield's dealers, Old Face Andre, who runs a westside corner convenience store that was actually a drug front. At Proposition Joe's suggestion, they rob a poker game, not knowing that Marlo Stanfield was one of the men at the game. While committing the robbery, Omar makes a point to take a large ring from Marlo, who had earlier taken the same ring from Old Face Andre as a debt for money owed. Though Marlo vows revenge, his right hand man Chris Partlow convinces him to take a subtler approach. Chris shoots an innocent woman during a staged robbery at Old Face Andre's store and instructs Andre to call the police and falsely implicate Omar as the culprit. Omar is subsequently jailed. During the arrest, he is robbed by Officer Eddie Walker, who takes the ring that Omar had stolen from Marlo. Before Omar is taken away in a police van, he is questioned by Officer Jimmy McNulty, who thought it out of character for Omar to have murdered an ordinary citizen not involved in the drug trade. While imprisoned in Baltimore City's Central Booking, Omar is recognized by other inmates he'd previously robbed, a number of whom want to kill him for the bounty that had been placed on his head. In retaliation for an attempt on his life, he brutally stabs an adversary in the rectum as a means of warning the other inmates not to attack him. Omar reaches out to Detective Bunk Moreland for help. Omar convinces Bunk that he would never kill a "citizen". After having Omar transferred to a safer prison in Harford County (calling in the favor from Ilene Nathan), Bunk manages to prove that Old Face Andre had lied. The charge against Omar is dropped and Bunk transports him out of Harford County with a warning: no more murders of anyone. Bunk threatens to bring up the unsolved murders at Omar's hands that he knew about, such as Stringer Bell, Stinkum Artis, or Tosha if Omar was caught killing anyone else. Omar learns that Marlo had framed him and was the one he had robbed at the card game. Omar demands that Proposition Joe help him rob Marlo, and Joe agrees to alert Omar when Joe's soldier Cheese was dropping off Marlo's package. Omar orchestrates an elaborate and successful hijacking of Joe's entire shipment of heroin as it enters port. As he had no wish to sell drugs on the street, he sells the heroin back to Proposition Joe. Although the heist makes Omar a lot of money, it has all of the drug kingpins ready to put a contract on his head.

Season 5
Omar retires with Renaldo following the heist and moves to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Marlo Stanfield has Butchie tortured and killed, seeking revenge on Omar and to draw him out of hiding.[3] Word reaches Omar and he returns to Baltimore to punish those responsible. Omar ambushes Slim Charles and confronts him. Omar knows that Slim Charles' employer "Proposition Joe" Stewart knew of his connection to Butchie and believes Proposition Joe may have been responsible. Slim Charles is able to convince Omar of Proposition Joe's innocence and Omar targets Stanfield. Along with Butchie's friend Donnie, Omar decides to go after Stanfield's people as Stanfield himself has gone into hiding and Omar targets Monk.[3] Stanfield's soldiers spot Omar outside of Monk's apartment and bait Omar and Donnie into an ambush. Once inside they are attacked by Chris Partlow, Snoop, Michael Lee, and O-Dog. During the shootout, O-Dog is wounded in the leg and Donnie killed by a gunshot to the head. Out of bullets, Omar is forced to jump from the fourth-story window, injuring his leg in the process. He continues his mission around the city in search of Marlo with a makeshift crutch. He terrorizes and robs many of Marlo's corners and shoots or kills several members of Stanfield's crew including Savino Bratton. All the while, Omar calls for Marlo to meet him on the streets. During "Clarifications," a young boy from Michael's crew, Kenard, follows Omar to a Korean-owned convenience store. Omar sees Kenard walk in, but seeing just a little boy, pays no attention to him. Kenard shoots Omar in the side of the head, killing him. This brings closure to some of the foreshadowing in Season 3, as Kenard was the young boy Bunk witnessed imitating Omar at the Barksdale stash house shootout.

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Legacy
News of Omar's death is received with mild amusement and indifference by various characters. Bunk Moreland initially shows some sympathy, which he brushes aside when he learns Omar was once again "on the hunt". McNulty and Freamon react with mere curious interest and instead focus on a lead on their case found on Omar's body. The newspaper staff drop any mention of the incident for lack of printing space. In his final appearance, an employee at the morgue realizes the identification tag on Omar's body has been accidentally switched with that of the white deceased male on the neighboring table and corrects the error by swapping the tags. The scenes signal the unceremonious transition of Omar from a mythical figure into a crime statistic in the course of one day. However, various people in the street were shown to increasingly exaggerate the details of his shooting in order to glorify his death.

Prequels
A brief prequel released before season five and on the season five DVD set features a young Omar, his brother Anthony, and an unidentified older boy planning and executing a robbery of a man at a bus stop in 1985 Baltimore. Even as a young boy, Omar shows remarkable intelligence, morality, and force of character by first questioning the value of robbing the man and then compelling the unidentified older boy (at gunpoint) to return the money. Anthony expresses tired amusement at Omar's actions, demonstrating his familiarity with his brother's forceful personality. Omar is shown with his characteristic facial scar, indicating that he somehow received it as a child. At the end of this segment, the unidentified boy tells Anthony that his brother is not "cut out" for their line of work, an ironic foreshadowing of what would happen to Anthony some years later. After bungling a jewelry store heist, Anthony was pursued by police. Apparently sensing he was about to be caught, and unwilling to do hard time, Anthony put a gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. He survives the suicide attempt, however; only receiving a contact wound. After this incident, he earned the derisive nickname "No Heart" Anthony.

Production
Casting
Michael K. Williams received the part of Omar after only a single audition. Williams has stated that he pursued the role because he felt it would make him stand out from other African Americans from Brooklyn with acting talent because of its contradictory nature.[4] Williams expressed that his relationship with and love of off-broadway New York theatres, such as the National Black Theater in Harlem gave him the skill set needed for his portrayal of Omar; in particular using the Meisner technique to create Omar from the ground up, immersing himself by researching details of inner city Baltimore. The role presented a particular challenge as it was the first major recurring television character he had played.[5]

Origins
David Simon has said that Omar is based on Shorty Boyd, Donnie Andrews, Ferdinand Harvin, Billy Outlaw and Anthony Hollie, Baltimore stickup men between the 1980s and early 2000s who robbed drug dealers.[6] Donnie Andrews later reformed, is married, and now helps troubled youths.[7] In season 4 of The Wire Andrews plays one of the two men Butchie sends to help Omar in prison, in the episodes "Margin of Error" and "Unto Others" and Omar later meets up with him at Blind Butchie's in "That's Got His Own" while planning the big drug robbery. Omar admits to an interest in Greek mythology in the season two episode "All Prologue".[8] Omar's nascent love of Greek mythology has some truth in real life; according to a passage The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, a non-fiction book written by David Simon and Ed Burns, children in Baltimore schools pay little attention to most classes and stories (as seen in the fourth season of The Wire), but are often interested by and

Omar Little appreciative of Greek mythology.[9]

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Reception
For his portrayal of Omar, Michael K. Williams was named by USA Today as one of ten reasons they still love television. The character was praised for his uniqueness in the stale landscape of TV crime dramas and for the wit and humor that Williams brought to the portrayal.[10] Other commentators applauded the many dimensions of the character with his appearances in various story lines as "...a sawed-off shotgun toting terror, a vulnerable jailbird whose life lies in the balance, and a double crossing mastermind who outsmarts Baltimores biggest drug dealers time and time again."[5] Omar was named as one of the first season's richest characters, not unlike the Robin Hood of Baltimore's west side projects, although his contradictory nature was questioned as a little too strange.[11] The Baltimore City Paper named the character one of their top ten reasons not to cancel the show and called him "arguably the shows single greatest achievement."[12] Williams has stated that he feels that the character is well liked because of his honesty, lack of materialism, individuality and his adherence to his strict code.[4] In January 2008 then-presidential candidate Barack Obama told the Las Vegas Sun that Omar was his favorite character on The Wire (which, in turn, is his favorite television show), adding, Thats not an endorsement. Hes not my favorite person, but hes a fascinating character.[13]

References
[1] "Character profile - Omar" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ omar. shtml). HBO. 2004. . [2] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . [3] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [4] Joel Murphy (2005). "One on one with... Michael K. Williams" (http:/ / www. hobotrashcan. com/ interviews/ michaelkwilliams. php). Hobo Trashcan. . Retrieved 2006-07-21. [5] Francesca Djerejian (2008). "Michael K. Williams: Omar Never Scares" (http:/ / www. hiphopdx. com/ index/ lifestyle-features/ id. 1026/ title. / p. 1). Hip Hop DX. . Retrieved 2008-02-19. [6] Richard Vine (2005). "Totally Wired" (http:/ / blogs. guardian. co. uk/ theguide/ archives/ tv_and_radio/ 2005/ 01/ totally_wired. html). London: The Guardian Unlimited. . Retrieved 2006-07-19. [7] Urbina, Ian (2007-08-09). "From Two Broken Lives to One New Beginning" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 08/ 09/ us/ 09baltimore. html?ex=1187323200& en=6ff91cea148c50cf& ei=5070& emc=eta1). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2007-08-11. [8] David Simon, Ed Burns (2003-07-06). "All Prologue". The Wire. episode 6. season 2. HBO. [9] The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, p.283 [10] Robert Bianco (2004-05-26). "10 Reasons we still love TV" (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ life/ television/ news/ 2004-05-26-tv-mvps_x. htm). USA Today. . Retrieved 2006-07-21. [11] Chris Barsanti (2004). "The Wire - The Complete First Season" (http:/ / www. slantmagazine. com/ dvd/ dvd_review. asp?ID=481). Slant Magazine. . Retrieved 2006-07-20. [12] Bret McCabe and Van Smith (2005). "Down to the wire: Top 10 reasons not to cancel the wire." (http:/ / cpgo. citypaper. com/ film/ story. asp?id=9538). Baltimore city paper.. . Retrieved 2006-07-21. [13] J. Patrick Coolican (2008). "Obama goes gloves off, head-on" (http:/ / www. lasvegassun. com/ news/ 2008/ jan/ 14/ obama-gloves-off/ ). Las Vegas Sun. . Retrieved 2008-02-27.

Bubbles

193

Bubbles
Reginald Cousins
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Andre Royo Information Aliases Gender Occupation Children Relatives Bubbles, Bubbs/Bubs Male Confidential Informant, Recovering drug addict, newspaper salesman and soup kitchen volunteer son, KeyShawn sister

Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Andre Royo. Bubbles is a recovering heroin addict. His real name is not revealed until a fourth-season episode when he is called "Mr. Cousins" and in the fifth-season premiere when he is called "Reginald".[1] Bubbles has a son named KeyShawn, who lives with his mother. Bubbles is a crucial informant for the police throughout the series due to his extraordinarily detailed knowledge of the streets of Baltimore and their inhabitants. Despite his long-standing history of heroin abuse Bubbles is an intelligent and compassionate man, who genuinely cares about his friend Johnny Weeks and Sherrod, the teenager he "adopts". His struggle to deal with his addiction and make a better life for himself is a major sub-plot over the course of the five seasons of the series.

Depiction
Season 1
Bubbles was first seen as a homeless addict and best friend and mentor to Johnny Weeks. The two run a scam creating counterfeit money using a photocopier and coffee staining. Bubbles successfully uses the money to purchase drugs from a crew of dealers working for the Barksdale organization. However when the money is passed on to the crew boss it is recognized as fake. The next time they try the scam Johnny is severely beaten by the Barksdale hoppers. Bubbles offers to inform on the Barksdale gang for Detective Kima Greggs, to get some measure of revenge for Johnny's beating. Bubbles' knowledge of the street proves invaluable to Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' unit as they investigate the Barksdale organization. He helps identify the crew members who run the Barksdale pit and those who work in the high-rise towers. When Omar Little robs the Barksdale stash, Bubbles is present, and gives the license plate number of Omar's van to Greggs, which helps the detail track down the stick-up man. After nearly being killed while trying to steal drugs, he tries to get off drugs, but reverts to his old habits when Greggs is shot: he pages Greggs after she had promised to help him stay clean, not realizing that she is hospitalized with a life-threatening injury after a buy-and-bust went bad. As the police seek murder suspects, Bubbles is mistaken as a suspect and brutally beaten by Detective Vernon Holley in the interrogation room until Sergeant Jay Landsman and other officers restrain Holley, calling in Jimmy McNulty to clear things up.

Bubbles

194

Season 2
McNulty recruits Bubbles to find Omar Little, whom Bunk needs as a witness in the William Gant murder. Bubbles grudgingly agrees, and in a nervous encounter with a shotgun-wielding Omar, delivers McNulty's message. At the end of season two, he is arrested by Officer Santangelo while trying to steal needles and morphine from an ambulance; in exchange for his release, he tips off Greggs and McNulty to the new alliance between Proposition Joe and Stringer Bell.

Season 3
Season three sees Bubbles assist the major case unit once again. Bubbles was a former associate of Squeak, then Bernard's girlfriend. Bubbles put them in touch with an undercover Lester Freamon, allowing the unit's plan to wire tap the phones to proceed. During this time Bubbles' continued cooperation with the police began to create a rift between Bubbles and Johnny, who encouraged Bubbles to end his career as an informant eventually Bubbles left Johnny to fend for himself. As the investigation progresses Bubbles begins to supplement the income he was earning as an informant by collecting discarded cell phones and t-shirts to sell out of a shopping cart; upon discovering Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin's "Hamsterdam" zones he expands his inventory to suit the needs of the dealers and addicts there. While in Hamsterdam, Bubbles also comes back into contact with Johnny and, upon recognizing that his friend's health was failing due to drug abuse, encourages him to leave his fears are realized at the end of the season, when Johnny is found dead from an overdose.

Season 4
In season four, Bubbles shares an abandoned garage with teenaged Sherrod, peddling small goods from a shopping cart to support themselves. Sherrod had trouble with the math involved and asked Bubbles to help re-enroll him in school. Sherrod never makes it to school, however, and after a brief fall-out with Bubbles he returns to help him sell goods from the shopping carts. In Sherrod's absence, however, Bubbles has become the daily victim of another street addict, who constantly robs him and beats him up. To stop this daily assault, Bubbles concocts a "hot shot" of heroin and sodium cyanide that he supposes the vagrant will steal from him and then consume. However, Sherrod uses the tainted drugs while Bubbles sleeps and Bubbles awakes to find that Sherrod has died. Consumed by guilt and grief, Bubbles goes to the police and confesses his actions, before unsuccessfully attempting suicide in the Homicide Interrogation room. Sergeant Jay Landsman sees that the death was unintentional and decides, due to the city's climbing homicide rate, to send Bubbles to a state psychiatric facility rather than charge him with murder.[2]

Season 5
When the fifth season begins Bubbles has been clean for more than a year. He is living in his sister's basement and selling The Baltimore Sun to make money. His Narcotics Anonymous sponsor is Walon.[1][3] Walon encourages Bubbles to open up about Sherrod's death in meetings but Bubbles is not ready to take that step. Walon suggests that Bubbles should find an outlet elsewhere and Bubbles begins volunteering at a local Catholic Worker soup kitchen called Viva House.[4][5] Eventually Bubbles comes to terms with his role in Sherrod's death and has his life story published in an article in the Baltimore Sun. In his final scene of the series, he is seen being brought back into his sister's life when she allows him upstairs from the basement to have dinner with her and her child. A key allegiance in previous seasons, his and Greggs, is no longer presented in any way after Bubbles rehabilitates, especially after Greggs is unable to ultimately help him. The terms of their friendship and whether they came in contact after the events of season 4 is not revealed.

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Origin
Bubbles was based on a real police informant known as "Possum",[6] whose true identity has not been made public at the request of his family. Possum was noted as having an incredible memory for faces, and was often very helpful in pointing out drug dealers to police. David Simon met with him twice shortly before his [Possum's] death from AIDS, intending to write an article about him. He ended up turning it into an obituary.[7]

Reception
Royo was once approached by a real drug addict and given heroin while filming, as he appeared to "need a fix more than" the addict.[8] Royo calls this his "street Oscar."[8]

References
[1] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [2] "Character profile - Bubbles" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bubbles. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-05. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] David Simon(1992-03-16). "Life as a snitch: Anonymous to the end, ' Possum ' tells secrets" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 1992-03-16/ news/ 1992076028_1_possum-police-department-baltimore), Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. [7] Alvarez, Rafael. The Wire: Truth Be Told - The Complete Official Series Guide. Canongate Books. [8] Margaret Talbot (2007). "Stealing Life" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot?currentPage=1). The New Yorker. . Retrieved 2007-10-14.

Dennis "Cutty" Wise

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Dennis "Cutty" Wise

Dennis Wise
First appearance "Time After Time" (episode 3.01) Last appearance "React Quotes" (episode 5.05) Created by Portrayed by David Simon and George Pelecanos Chad L. Coleman Information Aliases Gender Occupation Cutty Male Day laborer and boxing trainer

Dennis "Cutty" Wise is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Chad Coleman. Wise is a reformed criminal who sets up a boxing gym for neighborhood children. The name "Dennis Wise" was taken from an actual Baltimore contract killer, who is serving a life sentence in prison. The nickname "Cutty" originates from the character serving time in the Maryland State Penitentiary in Jessup, Maryland, which was nicknamed "The Cut."

Biography
Season 3
Cutty is known as a legendary soldier in Baltimore's drug trade, and was finishing a fourteen-year prison sentence when Avon Barksdale and Wee-Bey Brice arrived in prison. Cutty is well respected by Avon and many others in his organization for the work he did before going to prison, including phoning the police from the scene of a murder he had committed. Avon approaches Cutty with an offer of work shortly before his release. Barksdale lieutenant Shamrock gives him a homecoming gift of a package of narcotics. After observing a street dealer for a time, Cutty approaches him and offers to supply him for a cut of the profit. The dealer, Fruit, takes Cutty up on his offer but refuses to pay him when Cutty returns for the profits. Fruit then takes out a gun and threatens Cutty, leading him to back down. Cutty turns to work as a day laborer with a landscaping crew to get by. He tracks down his ex-girlfriend, Grace Sampson, to reconnect and finds her working as a schoolteacher. She puts him in touch with her church deacon to help him find work, but resists any other involvement. The deacon suggests that Cutty study to obtain his GED, but Cutty sees this as too difficult and, despite his initial hesitation, begins working with the Barksdale crew soon after his parole. His effectiveness and intelligence as muscle is shown on several occasions when planning raids, hits and other enforcement work for Avon against competing crews. He quickly earns the respect of Avon's primary enforcer Slim Charles, who throws a welcome home party for Cutty. He works with young soldiers Sapper and Gerard to track down a thief in the Barksdale organization, and his experience and intelligence enables them to quickly identify the culprit. Cutty is appalled when the younger soldiers almost kill the young dealer, believing a warning beating sufficient to modify his behavior but keep him fit to work for them. A turf war between the Barksdales and new power Marlo Stanfield provides more work for Barksdale soldiers. Cutty and Slim Charles plan a raid on a Stanfield corner using a pincer movement. Their younger associates ruin their plan by striking too soon and Barksdale veteran Country is killed as a consequence. Cutty and Slim Charles later decide to strike back alone but when their moment comes Cutty is faced with Fruit and finds himself unable to fire. It becomes clear to Cutty that he no longer has "the game" in him, after which he tells Avon that he's leaving the crew,

Dennis "Cutty" Wise saying, "I aint got it in me no mo'." Avon decides to let him leave, telling Slim Charles that Cutty still deserves their respect. Wise then begins to build a new life by returning to landscaping and, at the deacon's suggestion, opens a boxing gym. Unable to raise the funds to properly equip the gym, he approaches Avon to request the funding. Avon, a former amateur boxer, happily provides the money. Wise is also overwhelmed by the Bureaucracy and red tape involved opening the gym, but receives political backing from the deacon's contact, Rev. Frank Reid. Reid puts Wise in touch with State Delegate Odell Watkins and Marla Daniels. Watkins has Daniels help Wise to get the permits he needs for the gym. Wise connects with sergeant Ellis Carver through his efforts to encourage children away from drug dealing through sports, and the two develop a mutual respect. He has some success with local children, particularly when the Barksdale-Stanfield turf war temporarily closes down much of the drug trade in the area. In particular, one young dealer named Justin has talent and works hard to improve as a boxer. However, the turf war comes to a sudden end when Avon is arrested, and Cutty finds his gym quickly deserted as the children return to work. Cutty continues his efforts at personal reform despite this setback.

197

Season 4
In season four Wise's gym is thriving and he has taken on a number of other trainers to work with the kids. Justin returns to training and begins to compete in local boxing matches. Wise receives a great deal of attention from the women of the neighborhood, including the mothers of some of his trainees, who are, it is suggested, jumping at the opportunity to meet a decent man in a community in which many men have been absent, corrupted, killed, or incarcerated. He has become adept at controlling the boys who use the gym and earning their respect, although he jeopardizes his position with some of them as a result of his womanizing. He is also having some success in his work as a landscaper having acquired a working knowledge of the Spanish spoken by most of his colleagues. The crew chief is so impressed with Wise that he offers to make him a partner in the business and put him in charge of a second crew but Wise declines so that he can focus on the gym. Wise begins to take an interest in training a boy named Michael Lee whom he believes is a natural boxer. Michael rebuffs Wise's first offer of coaching. Later on, Wise is shot in the leg while trying to convince Michael to leave the corner life. While in hospital Wise is instrumental in getting Namond Brice off the streets by arranging Howard Colvin to have a "sitdown" with Namond's father, Wee-Bey. He also begins a relationship with a nurse who had initially mistaken him for a gangster before Colvin corrected her assumption.[1]

Season 5
In season five, Wise is briefly shown when Michael Lee, looking out for his friend Duquan "Dukie" Weems, drops him off to train with Cutty. Cutty watches Dukie fight and, seeing his ineptness as a boxer, tells him that he has other talents and tries to inspire him to leave Baltimore, though he ultimately admits that he himself, despite having reformed, doesn't know how to get out.

Origins
George Pelecanos is given credit with creating the character of Dennis Wise, based on unused notes from his novel Drama City, about a man getting out of prison after almost two decades. The idea reflected the "reform" theme of the third season, so the character was added. David Simon's books Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and The Corner (written with Ed Burns) both mention the real Dennis Wise. He is described as one of the two most infamous contract killers active in Baltimore during the late 1970s - Vernon Collins being the other. Police were frustrated by the fact that no witnesses could be found against either man. Neither Wise nor Collins would break under intense police questioning, refusing to say anything other than to request a lawyer. Dennis Wise was eventually sentenced to life in prison in 1979 for a contract killing. He earned his bachelors degree in Psychology while in prison. In 1999,

Dennis "Cutty" Wise Maryland Correctional officials transferred Wise to an Arizona prison in Yuma because he was allegedly leading an influential prison gang. Wise wrote a novel called The Wolf Trap while in prison.

198

References
[1] "Character profile - Dennis "Cutty" Wise" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ cutty. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22.

Stringer Bell

199

Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Mission Accomplished" (episode 3.12) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Idris Elba Information Gender Occupation Male Drug kingpin/Developer

Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment. Bell attends economics classes at Baltimore City Community College and maintains a personal library, including a copy of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. He attempts to legitimize the Barksdale Organization by investing in housing properties and buying influence from politicians. An intelligent planner and businessman in the drug-filled underworld of Baltimore, Bell is a close adviser to Barksdale and handles the economic decisions for the Barksdale crew. He is keen for the Barksdale outfit to act in a businesslike and professional manner, rather than appearing as mere thugs and gangsters and he often tries to temper Barksdale's bloodthirsty nature. Though not as vengeful as Barksdale, Bell is ruthless and completely devoted to his work, eliminating threats to the Barksdale Organization as soon as they appear. Though he commits a number of heinous acts throughout the show, Stringer's positive attributes - intelligence, ambition, a desire to see less violence on the streets if only for the sake of profit - have received much acclaim. In more symbolic terms, Stringer's ambitions can be seen as a mirror of capitalism played out in the urban underclass.

Biography
Stringer was born September 17, 1969, and grew up in the West Baltimore projects alongside childhood friends Avon Barksdale and Wee-Bey Brice.

Season one
Stringer was first seen with a trio of enforcers at the court house. He was attending the trial of Avon's nephew and lieutenant D'Angelo Barksdale for the murder of "Pooh" Blanchard. Avon tasked Stringer with ensuring that a not guilty verdict was returned. To this end he had enforcers Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice, Savino and Anton "Stinkum" Artis attend the trial with him to intimidate witnesses and also bribed a key witness, Nakeesha Lyles, to change her story. When D'Angelo was released, Avon had Stringer demote him to running the operation in the low rise projects known as "the pit." Stringer then had his hands full dealing with Omar Little's crew, after they stole some of Barksdale's stash from the pit. Stringer visited D'Angelo to instruct him about checking his organization for an informant who may have been giving Omar information. Avon ordered contract killings on Omar and all of his crew. Avon also tasked Stringer with assisting Stinkum in taking over new territory for the organization. Stringer took Stinkum to survey his new territory with some additional muscle in the form of Wee-Bey and Marquis "Bird" Hilton. While there, Stringer received word from D'Angelo that two of his crew, Wallace and Poot, had spotted Omar's boyfriend Brandon at an arcade. Stringer drove to meet the young drug dealers at the arcade bringing

Stringer Bell the three enforcers with him. He had them abduct Brandon using handcuffs and posing as police officers. They tortured Brandon to death trying to discover Omar's whereabouts. They then mutilated his corpse and displayed it in the low rises as Avon had instructed. Omar responded to the brutal slaying by striking back at Stinkum and Wee-Bey as they made their move on the new territory, killing Stinkum and wounding Wee-Bey. With this escalation of the conflict, Stringer tried to persuade Avon to offer Omar a truce. His plan was to let Omar grow complacent, then kill him when he let his guard down. Avon initially brushed this suggestion aside, but after Omar nearly killed him, he agreed with Stringer's advice. Stringer also persuaded Avon to give up his pager so that he could act as a buffer between Avon and the rest of their operation. As Avon grew increasingly suspicious that the police were watching him, Stringer took precautions to smoke out informants and to counter wiretaps. He instructed D'Angelo to withhold pay from his subordinates for several weeks; the ones who weren't asking for money at the end of that time were the ones who were being paid as informants. However, no informants were found. To foil wiretaps, Stringer insisted on phone discipline, asking D'Angelo's crew to remove nearby payphones and to walk longer distances to other phones instead. When it came time for Avon to clean house, Stringer ordered the murder of Wallace, who had been a key witness in the killing of Omar's boyfriend. Stringer tried to find out about Wallace's whereabouts from D'Angelo but D'Angelo realized his friend was in danger and only told Stringer that Wallace had left their business. Stringer turned to Bodie Broadus, D'Angelo's second in the pit operation and learned that Wallace had returned to working for D'Angelo. Stringer asked Bodie to murder Wallace. He also had the witness he had bribed in D'Angelo's trial, Nakeesha Lyles, killed. Stringer assumed command of the Barksdale crew when Avon was arrested at the end of season one. D'Angelo was also arrested and when he learned of the murder of his friend Wallace he blamed Stringer, driving a wedge between the two. Stringer rewarded Bodie's loyalty by promoting him to run their operation at the 221 tower.

200

Season two
During season two Stringer faced a serious problem: the Barksdale crew's usual supplier, a Dominican named Roberto, was under investigation by the DEA. The Dominicans refused to deal with Avon, believing that he might have informed on them in exchange for a lighter sentence. Avon was unable to find a satisfactory alternative despite having connections in Philadelphia and Atlanta, causing Stringer to grow desperate. Stringer had secretly become involved with Donette, D'Angelo's ex-girlfriend. He used the relationship to keep watch on the young Barksdale, growing concerned at D'Angelo's increasingly hostile attitude towards his uncle. When D'Angelo cut himself off from his family, Stringer grew worried that he might turn on them. He organized a contract killing through a connection in Washington, DC. Stringer's connection had his cousin strangle D'Angelo in prison and stage the death as a suicide. Stringer was emphatic that Avon could not learn of his actions. Stringer's relationship with Avon began to fray further as he secretly agreed to share Barksdale territory with Proposition Joe in exchange for Joe's higher-quality heroin, an idea which Avon vehemently opposed. Finally, when Avon hired legendary New York enforcer Brother Mouzone to chase Proposition Joe's dealers out of the Barksdale towers, Stringer had to maneuver carefully to preserve his alliance with Joe while keeping it secret from Avon; he solved this problem by tricking Omar into shooting Mouzone by blaming him for Brandon's death. After Mouzone returned home, Avon grudgingly agreed to Stringer's proposal, but the two were no longer as close as they had been before.

Season three
Stringer was still effectively in charge of the Barksdale empire at the start of the season, and had become even more businesslike in his thinking, obtaining real estate and legitimate business fronts for the organization, forming a retail co-op with Proposition Joe and other rival dealers, and running meetings with his underlings according to Robert's Rules of Order. Stringer was also shown to have been involved in political donations since season 1, giving money to consultants and politicians including State Senator Clay Davis in order to facilitate the development of a set of

Stringer Bell condominiums. After Avon was released from prison, he proved uninterested in Stringer's plan to reform the Barksdale organization's drug operations and transition from a criminal to a legitimate businessman. While Stringer wanted to move into a strictly financial role of wholesaling drugs then using the profits to make legitimate business investments, Avon, fresh out of prison, was determined to remain a gangster and go to war against the fledgling drug lord Marlo Stanfield. As Avon's war against Marlo spiraled out of control, Stringer found himself in danger of being cut off from Proposition Joe and the co-op's heroin supply. In Stringer's view, this would have made a victory over Marlo worthless, as street corners generate no money without drugs to sell on them. Beyond their differences over how to run their empire, Avon accused Stringer of lacking the toughness necessary for their business. Angry at the accusation, Stringer reasserted his attitude by revealing that he had ordered D'Angelo's death, claiming that D'Angelo was starting to break under the pressures of prison life and would have given everyone in the Barksdale organization up as soon as he could have. Stringer tells Barksdale that he made the decision to have D'Angelo killed because he knew Avon would be unable to order the death of his own nephew, even if he knew that D'Angelo would eventually flip. Stringer's relationship was irreparably damaged by this revelation, and while Avon eventually seemed to come to terms with Stringer's role in D'Angelo's death, things were not the same between the two afterwards. To make matters worse, Stringer's efforts at real estate development were hamstrung by the nuances of a legitimate business world that, college courses aside, Stringer did not fully understand. His condominium project was repeatedly delayed by various bureaucratic obstacles including redesigns required by housing codes, recalcitrant permit assessors, and the usual unanticipated hurdles that occur in construction projects. Though his co-developers took these setbacks in stride, viewing them as the cost of doing business, Stringer was frustrated by what he perceived as inexcusable foot-dragging that would not be tolerated in the drug world. Even worse, Stringer paid Clay Davis massive bribes to connect Stringer's organization with federal housing grants, only to learn that Davis had fabricated his federal contact and pocketed the money. Stringer, being unfamiliar with the way such arrangements work, assumed that bribery was as common in legitimate business as it was in the drug trade and was easily duped. Having made the crucial mistake of leaving his lawyer Maurice Levy out of the loop on his dealings with Davis, Stringer sought Levy's counsel only after he had paid Davis over $250,000. When Stringer asked Levy why other developers were being awarded housing grants and he wasn't despite the money he had "put in", Levy immediately recognized what had happened and told Stringer that he had been robbed by Davis. Enraged, Stringer instructed Slim Charles to assassinate Davis, an order that was immediately rebuffed by Avon. Avon pointed out that killing a state senator would likely bring down the wrath of state and federal authorities upon the Barksdale organization. Avon insinuated that he knew Stringer's efforts at legitimate business and high-stakes political maneuvering would ultimately fail and chided Stringer for his naivete, telling him, "They saw your ghetto ass coming from miles away." As Stringer saw his relationship with Avon deteriorate and his legitimate business ambitions imperiled, he moved quickly to return Avon to prison. To that end, he betrayed Avon to Howard "Bunny" Colvin by revealing the location of his safehouse, in the hopes of getting Avon out of the way long enough for Stringer to steer the organization toward his objectives. However, Stringer himself was simultaneously betrayed by Avon when Brother Mouzone confronted him about Stringer's plot to engineer a conflict between Mouzone and Omar Little. Mouzone told Avon that he knew Stringer had intentionally fed Omar misinformation and that he held Avon responsible for Stringer's actions, threatening to use his connections to cut off the Barksdale organization's supply of drugs from New York. In an effort to avoid a war with Mouzone, Avon reluctantly gave him information about Stringer's whereabouts. Shortly after Avon's meeting with Brother Mouzone, Avon and Stringer enjoyed one last drink together at Avon's harborside condominium, reminiscing about the past and acting as if their old friendship was intact, despite each man having betrayed the other. The next day Omar and Brother Mouzone tracked Stringer to his development site, killed his bodyguard, and, after a tense confrontation, killed him.

201

Stringer Bell With Stringer dead and Avon imprisoned along with most of his men, the Barksdale organization crumbled. Slim Charles became de facto leader of what remained of the Barksdale crew, which he merged with Proposition Joe's drug operations. Marlo Stanfield became the new power in West Baltimore by default. After Stringer's death, Detective McNulty and the police searched his apartment. The apartment was extremely clean, stylishly furnished and tastefully decorated. Far from any expectations of a drug kingpin, his bookshelf included a copy of The Wealth of Nations. McNulty was amazed at how little he truly knew about Stringer, despite having spent three years building a case against him.

202

Legacy
In the season five episode "Late Editions," Clay Davis, while describing to Lester Freamon how drug money is routed from the kingpins to state and city politicians through their lawyers, mentions how he conned a fellow named "Bell" into giving him a great deal of money because Davis had convinced him that he would be able to use his connections to push his development forward quickly. As Davis laughs about how he conned Stringer, Freamon's eyes light up in recognition.[1][2]

Origins
Stringer's name is a composite of two real Baltimore drug lords, Stringer Reed and Roland Bell.[3] His story bears many similarities to the life of Kenneth A. Jacksonspecifically, his crossover from the illegal drug trade to legitimate business ownership and political contributions.

References
[1] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-27. [2] "Character profile - Stringer Bell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ stringer_bell. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-30. [3] Kahn, Jeremy (August 2, 2007). "Real life, and then some" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ commentisfree/ 2007/ aug/ 02/ reallifeandthensome). The Guardian. . Retrieved 2009-09-12.

Avon Barksdale

203

Avon Barksdale
Avon Barksdale
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Unconfirmed Reports" (episode 5.02) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Wood Harris Information Gender Occupation Family Male Prisoner/Former Drug kingpin/philanthropist Brianna Barksdale (sister), D'Angelo Barksdale (nephew)

Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire portrayed by actor Wood Harris. Avon is the dominant drug dealer of Baltimore's West Side, running the Barksdale Organization. He runs the West Baltimore drug trade with total autonomy. Avon was counseled in his drug business by attorney Maurice Levy and assisted by his childhood friend and second-in-command Stringer Bell and sister Brianna Barksdale. Below Bell was a large organization of drug dealers and enforcers, including Avon's nephew (and Brianna's son) D'Angelo. He is interested only in controlling the drug trade in West Baltimore, accepting nothing less than absolute power, believing that control of territory is the key to this objective. He is hot-tempered, very concerned with his image on the street, and quick to send violent warnings to other crews. He is also shrewd and intuitive, though not as cerebral as Stringer.

Biography
Early life
Barksdale grew up in the terrace high-rises and avoided arrest, remaining a furtive but increasingly powerful force on the west side of Baltimore's drug trade. Avon is the son of Butch Stamford, though no father is listed on his birth certificate. Stamford was an infamous Baltimore criminal, whose name is known by both the police and other drug traffickers. Avon, a former amateur boxer who once fought in a Golden Gloves Tournament, was taught by his father how to survive in "the game" at an early age. He brought his friend, small-time thief Russell "Stringer" Bell, into the drug trade during their teens and took over the terrace high-rises during a gang war with a rival in 1999.

Criminal organization
At the beginning of the series, Avon has control of the entire West Baltimore drug trade. His territory included the prized Franklin Terrace tower blocks and the nearby low-rise projects, referred to as "the pit". Avon ran the organization as a hierarchy with himself at the top and Stringer directly below him. They were both isolated from the drugs, handling only money. Avon himself kept an extremely low profile, eschewing overt displays of wealth so as not to attract attention, avoiding being photographed, not having a driver's license, and owning nothing in his own name. He retained attorney Maurice Levy, who advised him on how to counter police investigations and represented members of the Barksdale organization at hearings and trials. Avon had a number of enforcers for protection, contract killings, and intimidation work, including his old friend Wee-Bey Brice. He had several lieutenants reporting to him, each responsible for trade in a different area, with some

Avon Barksdale receiving a percentage of the profits ("points on the package") of the narcotics they sold. Beneath the lieutenants there was typically a second-in-command and below them several drug dealers. The dealers would each have a particular role: "touts" were responsible for attracting customers; "runners" would deliver drugs to the customer; "look-outs" were responsible for watching for police or stick-up gangs approaching; or handling the money and the level of supply. Each dealer would receive a weekly cash payment for their work from the lieutenant above them. Every member of the organization was subject to strict rules designed to thwart police investigations. The dealers were not allowed to carry cell phones or take drugs. They were all aware of how to deal with police interrogation and knew that the organization would protect them up to a point, but if they turned on Avon they would be killed. Lieutenants and enforcers carried pagers so that they could be contacted. They were subject to the same rules as the dealers, but also knew not to talk business in cars, public places or with anyone outside of the organization. Such discussions were limited to property and territory owned by the Barksdale organization. A strict telephone usage policy was applied rigidly throughout the organization. The pager messages were encoded to prevent easy tracing of the telephones used, all of which were public telephones. The code was based on simple use of the telephone keypad - numbers were swapped with their opposite across the number five, and five was exchanged with zero, making it accessible to poorly-educated drug dealers. Each pager-carrying member of the organization was identified by a number. When pages were returned with a phone call no names were supposed to be used, and if a name was used, the speaker was rebuked. A separate code was used for resupply signals, which involved turning the pager display upside down. Avon received his narcotics supply through a connection to a Dominican organization in New York and had several other options for suppliers in surrounding cities. The main supply of narcotics was separated from the rest of the organization and held in a house in Pimlico where it could be cut and divided into smaller "stashes" for distribution among the Barksdale towers. Once inside the towers, these smaller packages were moved from room to room on a regular basis, to avoid the scrutiny of police and stick-up men such as Omar Little. Avon's main office was one of his front organizations, a strip club named Orlando's. It was here, behind a locked and heavily guarded door, that the drug money was counted and secured before being sent on to its ultimate destination. Avon usually conducted his business in this office, rarely venturing onto the street. The club's legal owner, Orlando Blocker, was kept away from the drugs in order to maintain the front's appearance of legitimacy for the city. The organization laundered its profits through various fronts, including a funeral parlor, Orlando's, and a property developing company named B&B. It also invested in property, never actually using either Barksdale or Bell's names on official papers. It also made campaign contributionsand later bribesto Senator Clay Davis, ostensibly for assistance with development contracts.

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Season One
Avon's errant nephew and lieutenant D'Angelo had murdered someone in public, so Avon had Stringer pay a witness, Nakeesha Lyles, to change her story in court. D'Angelo was acquitted, but Avon chastised him for costing the organization time and money, and demoted him from the 221 Tower into "The Pit" to replace Ronnie Mo, who had recently been promoted to his own tower. Avon also arranged for "Bird" Hilton to murder a second witness, William Gant, whom he had been unable to intimidate or bribe. The body was left on display outside the 221 Tower, to send a message to people who might consider testifying. D'Angelo was shaken by the murder and began to have second thoughts about his life, but Avon persuaded him to remain loyal to the family. Avon was angered when The Pit's stash was robbed by legendary Baltimore stick-up man Omar Little, and he placed a heavy bounty on Omar and his crew (nearly doubling it upon realizing Omar was homosexual). Wee-Bey killed Bailey, a member of Omar's crew. Omar's lover Brandon was captured and tortured by The Barksdale Organization (Season One) Stringer, Wee-Bey, Bird and Stinkum. In response, Omar killed Stinkum and wounded Wee-Bey, culminating with a failed assassination attempt on Avon outside of Orlando's. Wee-Bey managed to save Avon at the last minute. The Pit was also subject to raids which seized a second resupply of narcotics and arrested a carrier Kevin Johnston and a dealer Robert Browning. The police also seized an entire day's profits from Wee-Bey, totalling $22,000. They also briefly seized a payment on its way to State Senator Davis but were forced to return it because of his political influence. The robbery and police activity combined raised suspicion that there was a leak in the pit, and an increasingly paranoid Avon ordered D'Angelo to remove the pay phones (which had indeed been wiretapped). Barksdale's front man Orlando had been trying to take part in the drug trade, and Avon felt obliged to beat him, warning him that the only reason he was front man was because he was clean. Orlando persisted in trying to go into the business for himself, and was arrested by an undercover state police officer. Avon promptly has his name removed from the club's license. Orlando agreed to aid the police in their investigation, and Avon sent Wee-Bey, Little Man and Savino to kill him. The job was complicated when they found a woman accompanying Orlando and Little Man panicked and shot her. Avon quickly learned that the woman was Detective Greggs. The shooting of a detective led to a massive crackdown from the police. Savino was forced to turn himself in, but faced a sentence of just three years because he was not directly implicated in the shooting. Avon and Stringer held a crisis meeting with attorney Maurice Levy, who advised them to remove any possible loose ends. Avon ordered several murders, including unreliable enforcer Little Man, Nakeesha Lyles and a young dealer from The Pit named Wallace. Avon finally incriminated himself on a hidden camera in his office sending D'Angelo to pick up a package of drugs. He was arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute, but as this was the only arrest he had ever incurred he was sentenced to a total of seven years with possibility of parole.

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Season Two
Avon continued to run his organization from within the prison through Stringer. D'Angelo and Wee-Bey were imprisoned alongside Avon, both due to serve much longer terms. Wee-Bey informed Avon that a prison guard, Dwight Tilghman, was harassing him, in retaliation for the murder of a relative. Avon tried to reason with Tilghman, but the guard refused to talk to him. Knowing that Tilghman had a side line in smuggling narcotics into the prison, Avon contrived to supply him with tainted heroin, causing numerous deaths. When the warden began an investigation, Avon came forth as an "informant", accusing Tilghman of the crime. Narcotics were found in Tilghman's car, and Avon's first parole hearing was brought forward in exchange for the information. Despite being the one ultimately responsible for the crime, he is due to be out of jail within a year. D'Angelo grows more distant from Avon, refusing to take part in the scheme, and seeming depressed, even turning to drug use. Without Avon's knowledge, Stringer has D'Angelo killed in a fake suicide.

The Barksdale Organization (Season Two)

Because Avon's arrest was closely followed by the arrest of one of their suppliers, the New York-based Dominicans were suspicious that Avon might have named them to receive a lighter sentence, and the business relationship was brought to an end. Avon recommended secondary sources to Stringer but was unable to secure anything much better. Stringer suggested that they give up a portion of their territory to their rival Proposition Joe. Avon quickly dismissed the idea, reminding Stringer how hard they worked to seize the territory in the first place. Stringer eventually decided to allow Proposition Joe to move in despite Avon's order. Avon responded by contracting the feared Brother Mouzone to defend his turf. After Mouzone had been shot by Omar (an assassination attempt which Stringer arranged, without Avon's consent or knowledge), Avon reluctantly agreed to Stringer's proposal.

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Season Three
Upon his release from prison, Avon is showered with gifts by Stringer: a nightclub, a penthouse apartment, expensive clothes, a new SUV. Avon, while appreciative of Stringer's largesse, is outraged that Stringer has let their control over their territory slip as much as it has, and gets involved in a gang war with up-and-coming drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield. Avon employed a woman named Devonne through Slim Charles to find Marlo. She encounters Marlo in a bar, seduces him, and gives him her phone number so they can meet up again. When they later plan to meet up, it becomes clear that a trap has been set and Marlo's enforcer Chris Partlow shoots and kills a Barksdale crew member named Tater and wounds Avon in the process. Later, Marlo finds Devonne and shoots her dead in front of her home. When two "hitters" in his organization, under the direction of Stringer, attempt a hit on Omar as he accompanies his grandmother to church, Avon is angered by the breach of a long standing tradition of an unspoken truce on Sunday mornings. Omar's elderly The Barksdale Organization (Season Three) grandmother loses her hat during the failed hit. Avon is also worried by rumors of "Omar's granny getting shot in the ass" and the shooters "pissing on her hat" circulating amongst rival gangs. After letting the soldiers responsible wait for hours at headquarters, he tells Stringer that the only repercussions he would impose on them would be to require them to buy Omar's grandmother a new hat. At the beginning of the season, Avon makes an effort to recruit Dennis "Cutty" Wise into the organization, due to Cutty's legendary past as a soldier and his and Avon's near-coincident release dates (Cutty's imprisonment having lasted 14 years). Cutty joins the group for a time but soon admits that the game is not in him anymore. Avon, disappointed but understanding, allows the old soldier to go on respectful terms. Later, when Cutty asks for $10000 to help start a gym for neighborhood boys, Avon happily offers him $15000 cash. Avon and Stringer continue to clash over their conflicting methods of leadership; Proposition Joe tells Stringer that he will withhold his supply of high-quality drugs from the Barksdale organization if Avon's war with Stanfield continues, but Avon believes that giving in to Stanfield will make the organization look weak and diminish its standing. During an argument with Avon, Stringer reveals that he had D'Angelo killed for the good of the organization. The revelation damages their relationship irreparably. In an effort to return Avon to prison and thereby remove him as an obstacle to Stringer's business aims, Stringer contacts Major Colvin and reveals the location of Avon's weapons safehouse. Meanwhile, Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore and confronts Avon about Stringer's attempt to engineer a conflict between Mouzone and Omar. Mouzone threatens to use his connections to cut off the Barksdale organization's supply of drugs from New York and destroy Avon's credibility. In an effort to avoid a war with Mouzone, Avon reluctantly provides Mouzone with information about Stringer's whereabouts as a result of their seemingly irreconcilable philosophical differences in how to run the organization, and Mouzone (along with Omar) kills Stringer. Avon privately admits to Slim Charles that, contrary to rumors that Stringer fell at the hands of Stanfield's crew, Stringer actually died because of "some other shit." Depressed, Avon concedes that he has come around to Stringer's point of view and is tired of "beefing over a couple fuckin' corners." Slim retorts that they are

Avon Barksdale already in a war, and even if the pretense for it is false, they must still fight on it. Avon was ultimately arrested again; based on evidence that Stringer provided, police raided Barksdale's wartime safehouse and were able to put weapons and conspiracy charges on all those present. Barksdale's presence at the time of the arrest constituted a parole violation which mandates serving the remaining five years of his seven year sentence. Barksdale's lieutenants claim ownership of all the weapons, suggesting that the state's attorney will have a difficult time pinning any further charges on him. At the montage at the end of season three, Barksdale sits at the defense table at a court room with all those apprehended during the bust sitting behind him. The shot has no dialog, so it is unclear just how long Barksdale would be in prison, but it can not be less than five years, and it is implied that he received an additional 25 years for conspiracy to commit murder and weapons charges.[1][2]

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Season Five
Marlo Stanfield arranged a meeting with former Greek soldier Sergei Malatov at the Jessup Correctional Facility in the hopes of contacting The Greeks and Spiros Vondas. When he arrived, Marlo was surprised to find Avon on the other side of the prison glass. Avon revealed that he was still a man with a formidable reputation in the prison, and that Sergei had approached him once he began receiving direct payments from Marlo in order to get on Sergei's visiting list. Avon explained that he had intuited Marlo's plan of using Sergei to contact Vondas. Avon stated that he agreed, philosophically, with Marlo's plan to get around Proposition Joe & the other Eastsiders and cut them out of the supply connection (this could also be due to Joe's past dealings with Stringer behind Avon's back). Avon playfully espoused love for Westsiders and stated that he was prepared to let bygones be bygones in regards to his war with Stanfield. However, he informed Marlo that in order to gain access to Sergei, Marlo would have to pay Avon's sister $100,000. Marlo agreed, made the payment, and at his next visit to Jessup, Avon granted him access to Sergei. As Marlo and Sergei talked, Avon oversaw their meeting. Sergei was initially disinterested in cooperating with Stanfield's plan and refers to him dismissively, but is swayed when Marlo points out that if any arrangement he can make with Vondas are beneficial to the Greeks, it would be Sergei who "made it happen". By the end of the series, Stanfield's second-in-command Chris Partlow has made peace with Barksdale's organization as well, as he is seen fraternizing with Barksdale's second-in-command Wee-Bey in the Jessup prison yard. [3]

Origins
David Simon has disputed that any one individual is the model for any specific character in The Wire.[4] He has stated on The Wire DVD that Barksdale is a composite of several Baltimore drug dealers. However, Avon Barksdale is likely based, to some extent, on at least two notorious Baltimore drug dealers: Melvin Williams (who plays the character of The Deacon),[5][6] and Nathan Barksdale.[7]

References
[1] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-03-29. [2] "Character profile - Avon Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ avon_barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-03-29. [3] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [4] "Last Word: Nathan "Bodie" Barksdale and Kenny Jackson tell their versions of Baltimore's street life in The Baltimore Chronicles: Legends of the Unwired | Baltimore City Paper" (http:/ / www. citypaper. com/ news/ story. asp?id=17966& p=4). Citypaper.com. . Retrieved 2011-08-24. [5] (http:/ / www. bet. com/ OnTV/ BETShows/ americangangster/ americangangster_gangsterguide_melvinwilliams. htm?Referrer={626141EB-9CF7-463E-92C7-6F31C8698895}) [6] Glenny, Misha (2008-09-13). "David Simon: Mean streets" (http:/ / www. telegraph. co. uk/ culture/ tvandradio/ 3560541/ David-Simon-Mean-streets. html). The Daily Telegraph (London). . Retrieved 2010-04-26. [7] "Last Word: Nathan "Bodie" Barksdale and Kenny Jackson tell their versions of Baltimore's street life in The Baltimore Chronicles: Legends of the Unwired | Baltimore City Paper" (http:/ / www. citypaper. com/ news/ story. asp?id=17966& p=2). Citypaper.com. . Retrieved 2011-08-24.

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Marlo Stanfield
Marlo Stanfield
First appearance "Time after Time" (episode 3.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Jamie Hector Information Aliases Gender Occupation Black Male Drug kingpin

Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.

Character background and plot relations

Marlo "Black" Stanfield's background prior to his drug empire is largely unexplored. He was a previous suspect in an unsolved case for Homicide Detective Vernon Holley; Holley believed it was Marlo who killed his only witness as well as the original victims, yet no evidence could be traced back to him. The Barksdale Organization already had prime territory in the form of the towers and Avon expressed little interest in doing business outside them. Marlo's established rule and reputation is only noticed by the returning Barksdale dealers and soldiers when the towers are demolished and Avon wishes to return to their roots, escalating an all-out war over the new best territory of the westside. Marlo is known for his quiet and monotone voice and speech, speaking in a deep tone. His expression rarely ever changes throughout the character's screen time. The only point in the show where Marlo's mask of calmness has been broken is when one of his lieutenants, "Monk" Metcalf informs him that Omar Little had been badmouthing Marlo on the streets, using his name specifically and challenging him to confront him. Marlo was unaware of this, and it is this tarnishing of his name more than any other issue that elicits a rare and unexpected furious reaction from him. He bursts into a tirade that he would "step to any motherfucker, Omar, Barksdale, whoever... MY NAME IS MY NAME!" Street credibility and reputation are Marlo's absolute priorities, and he will never stand to be disrespected. This is evidenced when he orders the murder of Junebug based upon the rumor that he was spreading rumors about Marlo's sexuality. Furthermore, he is reluctant to delay retaliation at Omar Little after being robbed by the stick-up artist at a high-stakes poker game, though he was eventually persuaded to remain calm by Chris Partlow. Commentators on the show have persisted in denying Marlo's reputation as a monster, denying his want or enjoyment of murder, but rather claiming his indifference to using it, mainly murdering out need for pure efficiency. In a blog by The Guardian it was said this was no more evident than when he orders the murder of Michael Lee. He agrees with Chris that he doesn't believe Michael is a snitch yet, but asks of Partlow, "But you willing to bet your future on that?"(Season 5, episode 9)

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210

Season 3
Marlo Stanfield was introduced in season 3 as an up-and-coming drug player who controlled many corners in West Baltimore. Stanfield and his primary enforcer Chris Partlow waged war with the Barksdale crew over this territory. His ambition was full control of the drug trade in West Baltimore. Following the loss of their project buildings, the Barksdale Organization approached Stanfield through lieutenant Bodie Broadus to discuss the sharing of territory in exchange for a supply of their high quality heroin. Stanfield refused to acknowledge Bodie, who had set up his own crew within Stanfield's established territory, and insisted that he move his people away. Later Stanfield had dealer Fruit and his crew give Bodie's crew a beating, demonstrating that he was not going to lay down and let the Barksdale organization move into his territory. Stringer Bell visited Stanfield personally to try to convince him to join the New Day Co-Op, a group of Baltimore drug players who buy packages of narcotics together to receive a discount and also try to reduce the violence of their business in order to avoid police attention. Stanfield listened to Stringer without comment, and shortly after Stringer left, he warned Partlow to prepare for war. Lieutenant Daniels' major case unit became aware of Stanfield when he met with Stringer, although initially they assumed he was working for the Barksdale organization like many other crews in the West side. The unit went to the homicide division to learn more about Stanfield and found that he had been investigated for a murder. The police had built a case against him using a key witness who was murdered before the case went to trial. The investigating detective, Vernon Holley, believed that Stanfield killed the witness and goes on to describe Stanfield as "the spawn of the devil." When a failed Barksdale assault on a Stanfield corner resulted in the deaths of two Barksdale soldiers, the police realized Stanfield's crew was independent of the Barksdale organization, and that the two gangs were at war. The assault had been triggered by the parole of Avon Barksdale who took a more confrontational approach to the turf war than Stringer. Stanfield believed that the failed assault showed a lack of strength in the Barksdale organization and discussed this with Partlow and his advisor Vinson. He organized retaliatory attacks against Barksdale territory. His soldier Snoop killed Barksdale soldier Rico in a drive-by. Avon responded by hiring a woman named Devonne to seduce Stanfield and lure him to a meeting. While Stanfield had sex with Devonne he did not go to their arranged meeting. Instead, he had Snoop surveil the location while Partlow waited nearby. Snoop spotted Devonne reporting to Avon, who was waiting in a parked car. Partlow drove by the car and shot and wounded Avon and killed another Barksdale soldier. Stanfield and Partlow later tracked Devonne to her home and Stanfield murdered her personally as she was leaving one night. The violence continued to escalate and Stanfield's lieutenant LaTroy was killed. When Stringer Bell was murdered, the police and drug gangs assumed that Stanfield was responsible. In reality, Avon had facilitated his death by giving Brother Mouzone (and in turn Omar Little) information about his whereabouts. Stanfield did, however, nearly meet the same end as Bell, when Slim Charles tracked him down and was ready to assassinate him. However, the police, acting on a tip given by Bell shortly before his death, broke into the Barksdale safe house, arresting Avon before he could give the go-ahead to kill Stanfield. At the end of season 3, Avon was arrested for parole violation, weapons charges and drug crimes. Stanfield and Chris attended his sentencing hearing. Avon acknowledged Stanfield, thus conceding that the crown had been passed.[1][2]

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Season 4
Stanfield begins season 4 in control of all the best territory in Western Baltimore. He ruthlessly protects his territory through his enforcers, Chris Partlow and Snoop. When murders are committed on Stanfield's behalf, they hide the bodies in vacant buildings. When Stanfield's crew chief, Fruit, is killed by a dealer from Bodie Broadus' independent crew, he is quick to order the death of the dealer responsible. Stanfield furthers his reputation around the neighborhood by giving away money, through Monk, to children during the back-to-school period. Although most children are happy to accept the money, Michael Lee notably refuses, in an early show of his strength of character. Stanfield keeps his own skills and his soldiers' sharp by organizing shooting practice sessions in the woods. The major crimes unit targets Stanfield and begins to monitor his organization using wiretaps, but fail to link him to any murders because of the hidden bodies. They do manage to get Stanfield on tape when he uses Monk's phone to talk to a subordinate known as "Old Face" Andre. The unit is re-staffed for political reasons and the investigation stalls. "Proposition Joe" Stewart engineers a conflict between Stanfield and Omar Little in an attempt to demonstrate the benefits of joining his drug cartel - the New Day Co-Op. Stanfield agrees to join the Co-Op to learn more about Omar and the mounting police interest in his own organization. Stanfield plans to have Omar framed and killed in jail. The plan fails and Omar retaliates by stealing an entire shipment of narcotics meant for the New Day Co-Op. Stanfield is suspicious of Prop Joe's claim that the shipment has been stolen, and insists on some kind of satisfaction. Prop Joe agrees to set up a meeting between Stanfield and his suppliers The Greeks. Stanfield meets with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos and is convinced that Prop Joe was not involved in the robbery. Stanfield begins having Vondas followed in order to learn more about his role in importing drugs into Baltimore. Stanfield is impressed with then 13-year-old Michael Lee for standing up to him and believes that he will make a good soldier. He orders Partlow and Snoop to recruit Michael. Michael's abusive stepfather is released from prison and Michael, believing that no one else can help him, goes to Stanfield. Michael agrees to join the Stanfield Organization in exchange for having his stepfather killed. Stanfield sets up Michael and his brother Bug in an apartment, and gives him his own corner, with Dukie, and Kenard working for him. When Lester Freamon finally discovers Stanfield's "tombs" in the vacant houses, a massive police investigation begins, and the re-established major crimes unit begins investigating Stanfield once again.

Season 5
After more than a year of investigation, Stanfield and his people are extremely cautious in communicating with each other. They only speak face to face and often drive all over the city in an effort to lose any tails before arriving at their meeting spot. Eventually, the Major Crimes unit's investigation is shut down by Mayor Tommy Carcetti for economic reasons.[3][4] Stanfield and his crew become more relaxed in their routine, convinced that they have worn the police down. Confident that he is not being watched, Stanfield orders Chris Partlow and Snoop to undertake several murders. He first dispatches them to execute a drug dealer named Junebug for spreading rumors about Stanfield and to attack another drug dealer named Webster Franklin's territory until he agrees to take the Stanfield package. Stanfield also orders Partlow and Snoop to find and kill Omar Little, who has left Baltimore and retired from robbing drug dealers.[5][6] Stanfield quietly plans to strongarm the supply and control of the New Day Co-Op from "Proposition Joe" Stewart. Stanfield aims to establish a direct relationship with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos and the drug trafficking organization of The Greeks. Stanfield has Partlow investigate the port case at the courthouse,[3][4] and then bribes former Greek soldier Sergei Malatov by depositing money into his canteen account in order to be put on his visitor

Marlo Stanfield list at MCI Jessup.[5][6] Stanfield goes to visit Malatov, in the hopes of getting a direct line to Vondas, but finds himself blocked by Avon Barksdale.[5][6] Barksdale reminds Stanfield that he is still a man of formidable reputation and considered an authority figure in the prison. He tells Stanfield that all business in Jessup must go through him and demands that Stanfield pay his sister one hundred thousand dollars in order to gain access to Malatov.[5][6] Stanfield makes the payment, and Barksdale grants him access to Malatov.[5][6] Malatov is disrespectful towards Stanfield but is convinced by Avon to help Stanfield reach Vondas.[5][6] Stanfield is directed to Little Johnny's Diner, the Greek's headquarters. He delivers a case of money to the counterman, Andreas, and tells him to inform Vondas of his desire to meet. Stanfield seeks Prop Joe's guidance in money laundering while simultaneously preparing to overthrow him. Prop Joe introduces Stanfield to a pastor who has relationships with overseas charities that he uses to launder money for a ten percent "donation fee". When Stanfield meets with Vondas, Vondas is displeased that Stanfield has presented him with dirty bills from the street. Stanfield returns to Prop Joe to get his money cleaned. Stanfield later drops off the clean money at Little Johnny's, telling the counterman to inform Vondas that he meant no misunderstanding. Afterwards, Stanfield takes a trip to the off-shore bank in the Antilles in order to make sure his laundered money is safe.[7][8] Stanfield learns about Omar's confidant Butchie from Prop Joe's nephew Cheese. Stanfield has Partlow and Snoop torture and kill Butchie. They leave a witness to ensure word reaches Omar, but Snoop is concerned that they are provoking Omar without having any idea of how to get to him.[7][8] Stanfield also has Prop Joe introduce him to defense attorney Maurice Levy to assist in his money laundering. Stanfield continues to pay tribute to The Greek and convinces him to consider him as an insurance policy should anything happen to Prop Joe. Stanfield senses a growing rift between Cheese and Prop Joe and looks to capitalize on it. After Cheese argues with a rival drug kingpin named Hungry Man at a Co-Op meeting, Stanfield sees his chance. He has Partlow and Snoop kidnap Hungry Man and deliver him to Cheese. Stanfield asks Cheese to betray Prop Joe in exchange. Cheese leaves Prop Joe unprotected at his home and Stanfield traps him there. Stanfield looks on as Partlow murders Prop Joe.[9][10] Stanfield assumes Proposition Joe's position as The Greek's narcotics distributor in Baltimore. Stanfield is given a phone and is shown how to communicate with the Greeks without speaking by Vondas.[11][12] The phone is used to send pictures of clock faces that are coded to indicate meeting places.[13][14] Stanfield plans a visit to Atlantic City to celebrate his victory but Partlow reminds him that they must remain in hiding until Omar has been dealt with. Partlow prepares an ambush for Omar in Monk's apartment but Omar escapes by leaping from the balcony.[11][12] Stanfield continues to use Levy to launder money and gives Levy his new cell phone number. Levy's defense investigator Thomas "Herc" Hauk copies the number after hours and passes it to the police department,[11][12] ultimately resulting in an illegal wiretap being set up by rogue detective Lester Freamon.[15][16] At the next Co-Op meeting Stanfield informs the Co-op he was responsible for the murder of Prop Joe because he made a move against Omar, and Omar retaliated by killing Prop Joe. He then assumes control. He appoints Cheese the head of distribution on the East side and Monk the West side. Stanfield increases both the bounty on Omar and the cost of the product and rules that no further group meetings will take place - instead the members will either have to keep their problems to themselves or meet with Stanfield alone.[15][16] Partlow marshalls his people to search for Omar but he eludes them and remains a thorn in the Stanfield Organization's side. Omar robs a money pick-up and wounds a Stanfield soldier.[15][16] Omar also robs a Stanfield stash house, where he kills an enforcer named Manny and later kills Savino Bratton.[17][18] Omar calls for Stanfield to face him in the streets and attacks his reputation at every opportunity but Partlow prevents this information from reaching Stanfield. Omar is ultimately killed by a young drug dealer named Kenard whom Stanfield does not know.[13][14] Omar's possessions include a list of Stanfield personnel which is passed to Detective Freamon and allows him to make the connection between Stanfield and Cheese.[13][14] Freamon's partner, Detective Leander Sydnor, breaks the clock code[13][14] and the police are able to follow Partlow to a major resupply from the Greeks using the evidence from their illegal wiretap. Monk is arrested with large

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Marlo Stanfield quantities of drugs and Stanfield, Partlow and Cheese are arrested for conspiracy to supply narcotics. Partlow also has a murder warrant for Devar Manigault. Stanfield believes that Michael Lee may be the source of information listed in the arrest warrants as Manigault was his stepfather. Stanfield orders Snoop to kill Michael but Michael realizes he is being set up and kills Snoop first. Stanfield is enraged when he learns that Omar had been assaulting his street reputation and insists that when released his people will re-establish his name.[19][20] Levy senses that the timing of the arrests was too soon after the initial arrest of Monk and surmises that the police used illegal surveillance. Sensing the state's reluctance to take the compromised evidence to court, Levy negotiates a deal for Stanfield Stanfield will go free with his charges suspended on the stet docket but will face prosecution if he returns to drug distribution. Partlow will face life without the possibility of parole and will have to plead guilty to all of the vacant house murders. Monk faces a lengthy sentence on a plea bargain with no possibility of bail. Cheese is also facing a long sentence but is granted bail so Stanfield charges him to kill Michael.[21][22] Stanfield holds a meeting with two Co-Op members (including Fat-Face Rick and Slim Charles) from the prison and offers to sell them the connection to the Greeks for ten million dollars, claiming that he plans to become a businessman. The Co-Op raise the funds but Slim Charles murders Cheese in revenge for his betrayal of Proposition Joe before he can carry out Stanfield's order. Fat-Face Rick and Slim Charles assume control of the connection.[21][22] After Stanfield's release, Levy introduces him to property developers and other prominent Baltimore businessmen at an evening event. However, he quietly slips out of the event and approaches two young corner boys who are talking about Omar and mythologizing his death and provokes a fight. The boys are armed with a knife and a gun but Stanfield singlehandedly drives them off. Stanfield's arm is cut in the scuffle and he is left alone on the corner, smiling.[21][22]

213

Production
Analysis
Jamie Hector has commented that he sees the character as striving to obtain power rather than profit and revelling in using that power over others.[23] The series' creator David Simon has also commented that Stanfield is driven by a desire for totalitarian power.[24] Hector has said that much of his performance stems from trying to capture Stanfield as a man of power and economy using minimalist movement and speech.[23] When critic Alan Sepinwall interviewed Simon about the fate of the character, Simon said that he considers Stanfield's fate to be a kind of justice as he is cut off from his power and reputation. Sepinwall hailed Stanfield's ending as defying the viewers' expectations to see the character incarcerated or murdered in the streets.[25] Simon also commented that the ending was intended as ironic, as Stanfield receives everything that his one-time rival Stringer Bell desired (in terms of becoming a legitimate businessman) but does not value it.[25] Simon has also said that the character's ending was deliberately ambiguous.[24]

Real life origins

In the mid-1980s, Timmirror Stanfield was a major Baltimore drug trafficker. In 1986 Stanfield was 25 and ran a gang which included over fifty members. The Stanfield gang controlled South Baltimore's Westport area and West Baltimore's Murphy Homes housing project.[26] The gang committed multiple murders, and drew the attention of authorities, who were able to persuade fifteen witnesses to testify. The core of the gang was convicted.[27] This real life criminal forms the basis of the character's origins while emphasizing the rise in brutality from the American heroin trade of the 1970s to the crack cocaine trade of the 1980s.

Marlo Stanfield

214

References
[1] "Character profile - Marlo Stanfield" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marlo_stanfield. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-14. [2] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-14. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 54 Transitions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode54. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-05. [11] Agnieszka Holland; David Mills (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-03). "React Quotes". The Wire. episode 5. season 5. HBO. [12] "The Wire episode guide - episode 55 React Quotes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode55. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-05. [13] Anthony Hemingway; Dennis Lehane (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-24). "Clarifications". The Wire. episode 8. season 5. HBO. [14] "The Wire episode guide - episode 58 Clarifications" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode58. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [15] Seith Mann; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-10). "The Dickensian Aspect". The Wire. episode 6. season 5. HBO. [16] "The Wire episode guide - episode 56 The Dickensian Aspect" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode56. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [17] Dominic West; Richard Price (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-17). "Took". The Wire. episode 7. season 5. HBO. [18] "The Wire episode guide - episode 57 Took" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode57. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [19] Joe Chappelle; George Pelecanos (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-03-02). "Late Editions". The Wire. episode 9. season 5. HBO. [20] "The Wire episode guide - episode 59 Late Editions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode59. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [21] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [22] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 30" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [23] Bilge Ebiri (2008). "Jamie Hector on Playing Marlo on The Wire and Keeping Secrets About Heroes" (http:/ / nymag. com/ daily/ entertainment/ 2008/ 01/ jamie_hector_on_playing_marlo. html). New York Magazine. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [24] Heather Havrilesky (2008). "David Simon on cutting "The Wire"" (http:/ / www. salon. com/ ent/ tv/ feature/ 2008/ 03/ 10/ simon/ index4. html). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [25] Alan Sepinwall (2008). "Sepinwall on TV: 'The Wire' ends" (http:/ / blog. nj. com/ alltv/ 2008/ 03/ sepinwall_on_tv_the_wire_ends. html). New Jersey Star Ledger. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [26] "Stanfield and Boardley Investigations" (http:/ / www. ncjrs. gov/ html/ bja/ gang/ bja4. html). Bureau of Justice Assistance. . Retrieved 2009-05-09. [27] "Gang- and Drug-Related Homicide: Baltimore's Successful Enforcement Strategy" (http:/ / www. ncjrs. gov/ html/ bja/ gang/ pfv. html). Bureau of Justice Assistance. . Retrieved 2009-05-09.

Proposition Joe

215

Proposition Joe
Joseph Stewart
First appearance "Game Day" (episode 1.09) Last appearance "Transitions" (episode 5.04) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Robert F. Chew Information Nickname(s) Gender Occupation Relatives Proposition Joe Male Drug kingpin/Appliance Store Operator Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff (nephew) Drack (nephew) Randy Wagstaff (great-nephew)

Joseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart (often referred to as Prop Joe) is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug kingpin who preferred a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible. He was responsible for creating the lucrative New Day Co-Op with Stringer Bell, supplying much of Baltimore with heroin brought into the city by "The Greeks". Joe was a portly and amiable presence, but was often a match in wits for rival drug lords Avon Barksdale and Marlo Stanfield and was able to manipulate most situations to his advantage. His nickname stemmed from his trademark phrase "I've got a proposition for you," going back to his days on the school yard selling test answers. He has the distinction, along with Poot Carr and Wee-Bey Brice, of being one of the few characters from the drug trade to appear in every season and the only drug kingpin to do so.

Biography
Season one
Joe first appears at an annual basketball game, the Eastside drug lords' team versus the Westside drug lords. Joe plays on Avon Barksdale's pride, goading him into doubling their wager on the outcome, then bringing in a ringer at the last minute to win the game. That same day, he is visited by stick-up-man Omar Little, who gives Joe some of the Barksdale Organization's stolen narcotics in exchange for Barksdale's pager number. Omar uses the information in an unsuccessful attempt on Barksdale's life but Joe's role in Omar's attack is never revealed to Barksdale. Joe later serves as a neutral go-between, organizing a meeting between Barksdale's business partner Stringer Bell and Omar to discuss a truce.

Proposition Joe

216

Season two
In season two, Joe's role is expanded, and it is revealed that Joe relies on the Greek's smuggling ring to bring his drug shipments into the Baltimore ports. Joe accommodates Nick Sobotka at the request of Sergei "Serge" Malatov to resolve a dispute over a bad drug deal between Ziggy Sobotka and Joe's nephew and lieutenant Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff. Joe helps the Sobotkas reclaim money that Cheese stole out of respect to Malatov. Joe's heroin supply is the purest in Baltimore, but he lacks the territory to maximize profits. Due to Avon Barksdale's arrest, the Barksdale Organization is cut off from their Dominican suppliers and is forced to sell weaker heroin. Joe offers Stringer Bell a portion of his product in exchange for the right to deal drugs in some of the Barksdale-controlled towers. Barksdale vehemently rejects the idea, but Bell secretly agrees and Cheese's crew moves in to what was previously Barksdale territory. Barksdale is unaware of Bell's move and brings in Brother Mouzone to protect the towers. Mouzone confronts Cheese and wounds him with a non-fatal gunshot. Joe fears Mouzone's reputation and knows it would be a mistake to attack him directly. Joe sets up a meeting between Bell and Omar Little, and Bell tricks Omar into shooting Mouzone. This elaborate deception achieves the shared goals of Joe and Bell: it drives Mouzone back to New York and forces Barksdale to grudgingly agree to the drugs-for-territory exchange with arch-rival Joe.

Season three
Joe insulates himself against police investigation by maintaining a strict policy of only meeting face to face. His nephew "Drac" is targeted as a potential inroad for an investigation by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' major crimes unit, due to his propensity to talk business over the phone. Daniels' unit arrests Joe's lieutenant Lavelle Mann in an undercover bust operation, hoping that Drac would be promoted to replace him. However Joe chooses someone more reliable, thwarting the unit's efforts inadvertently. Daniels tips his hand when he arrests Cheese, believing that he had him on tape discussing a murder. Cheese realizes that the tape is of him talking about shooting his pet dog, and the police are forced to release him. He reports the incident to Joe who is thus forewarned about the investigation, and passes the information on to Stringer Bell. The unit moves their investigation away from Joe and onto the more violent Kintel Williamson when they fail to make further progress. Joe extends the sharing of his supply to many other drug dealers in Baltimore, forming the New Day Co-Op with Bell, Ricardo "Fat-Face Rick" Hendrix and Kintell Williamson, among others. He supplies all of these drug dealers with his package, and they receive a discount for the bulk buying; they also agree to avoid bringing unnecessary police attention by limiting violence. Because of this, Williamson stops killing people, and the police begin investigating a brewing turf war between Avon Barksdale and up-and-coming Marlo Stanfield. Joe and the rest of the Co-Op object to the police attention the war creates, as it interferes with their business. Joe meets with Stanfield's advisor Vinson to try to negotiate a settlement, but Stanfield is unwilling to back out of the war, believing that Barksdale is weak. Joe gives Bell an ultimatum - end the war or he will be thrown out of the Co-Op. The ultimatum is defused when Bell is murdered, and Barksdale is arrested, leaving Joe with complete control of the Co-Op.[1]

Season four
Joe recruits former Barksdale Organization soldier Slim Charles as his lieutenant to supply the independent dealers that have arisen to replace the Barksdale organization in Western Baltimore. However, problems arise; Marlo Stanfield has taken control of much of the Barksdales' prime territory, and the New York drug organizations are taking over territory in Eastern Baltimore. The Co-Op votes to negotiate with Stanfield and recruit him to strike back against the New York drug dealers. Joe contacts Stanfield, who turns down his first offer. Joe manipulates Omar Little again, inducing him to rob a card game which Stanfield attends, by pretending that he wanted to make amends for his involvement in the Stringer Bell/Brother Mouzone incident. After Omar robs the card game, Joe offers Stanfield another meeting and claims he

Proposition Joe could protect him against such surprises in the future. Joe also explains that he has contacts within the Baltimore police department and courts. Joe routinely shares information about police activity with other Co-Op members. Although much of his information is actually public record, Joe is also aware of the case against Kintel Williamson that was suspended and inconclusive. Stanfield agrees to work with the Co-Op. With Stanfield's help, the New York dealers are driven out of Baltimore. Joe also offers Stanfield advice on how to deal with a police surveillance camera, discovers the identity of the unit investigating Stanfield and tries to encourage Stanfield's transition into being less violent and more business-minded. Stanfield frames Omar for murder and plans to have him killed while in prison. Omar escapes the charges and plots revenge on Stanfield. Omar forces Joe (at gunpoint) to agree to betray Stanfield, but Omar ultimately double-crosses Joe and steals an entire Co-Op shipment as it is delivered. The Co-Op decides that Joe should cover the expense of replacing it, and Joe threatens to cut them off from his supplier, forcing them to back down. Omar returns to sell the shipment back to Joe for 20 cents on the dollar; Joe, ever the opportunist, informs the Co-Op that the price is 30 cents on the dollar, allowing Joe to recoup some of the losses from the theft. Stanfield is perturbed by the robbery and suspects that Cheese, who was responsible for collecting the shipment, was involved. To protect his nephew Joe is forced to reveal his suppliers' identity and arrange for Stanfield to meet with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. At the end of the season, Joe and the rest of the New Day Co-Op resume business as usual, but have put a bounty on Omar's head.[2]

217

Season five
The fifth season opens over a year later. Joe's advice has allowed Marlo Stanfield to successfully avoid prosecution despite an ongoing major case unit investigation. Joe finds that he is losing territory in the redevelopment and gentrification of Eastern Baltimore and proposes a division of new territory in Baltimore County to compensate the East side drug dealers. Stanfield objects and then sows the seed of dissent in Joe's organization by suggesting that Joe should allow Joe's lieutenants to manage the new territory.[3][4] Stanfield approaches Joe for assistance with money laundering and obtaining literally clean bills. Joe claims that he is happy to help and puts Stanfield in touch with several of his contacts. Joe uses a pastor with charitable organizations abroad to launder money - he makes "donations" to the charity and then receives 90% of his funds back as cashier's cheques. Joe instructs Stanfield in how to do the same and introduces him to the pastor. Joe privately finds the uphill struggle of "civilizing" Stanfield. Stanfield is concerned about having his money in foreign banks and Joe helps him to obtain a passport to visit the bank. Stanfield also requests clean bills from Joe and is accommodated. Joe is unaware that Stanfield is using the money to pay tribute to The Greek and is plotting to usurp his supply connection. Stanfield also hopes to get revenge on the now retired Omar Little while Joe is happy to have escaped further involvement. Stanfield offers a bounty on anyone connected to Omar but Joe does not reveal Omar's connection to Butchie. However, Cheese betrays Joe for the reward and Stanfield has his enforcers murder Butchie.[5][6] Joe fears reprisal from Omar and decides to leave town. He arranges for Slim Charles to watch Cheese closely as he suspects his betrayal. Joe arranges flowers for Butchie's funeral both as a gesture to his friend and to signal to Omar his innocence in the murder. Cheese has created a feud with Co-Op kingpin Hungry Man over the new county territory and Joe publicly reprimands his nephew. Stanfield gets the agreement of The Greek that he will consider him an insurance policy if Joe is unable to continue to handle their supply. Stanfield then seizes on Cheese's feud with Hungry Man to convince him to betray Joe. Cheese gives Joe up as he is packing to leave town. Stanfield corners Joe in his home, and Joe correctly guesses that Cheese betrayed him. Stanfield rejects Joe's final proposition of disappearing quietly, and has Chris Partlow shoot Joe while he watches.[7] Joe went to school at Dunbar High School with former Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell. Prop Joe says this to Herc who is working for Maury Levy at the time.

Proposition Joe

218

Production
Actor Robert F. Chew appeared in David Simon's previous series Homicide: Life on the Street, in the three part episode "Blood Ties", playing Wilkie Collins, a drug kingpin who hates violence. Collins provides the police with key information about which drug dealer was shooting at them so that the police would not interfere with his business. Collins and his wife are subsequently murdered by the Mahoney drug cartel for his betrayal. His young son witnesses their deaths and helps the police arrest their murderer. Chew also had a small role in Simon's HBO mini-series The Corner in which he played a shoe salesman.

References
[1] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-25. [2] "Character profile - Proposition Joe Stewart" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ prop_joe. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-05. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Spiros Vondas

219

Spiros Vondas
Spiros Vondopoulos
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Paul Ben-Victor Information Nickname(s) Aliases Gender Occupation Vondas Kirko Skaddeng, Jnos Pravatz Male International smuggling/Organized Crime underboss

Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos (Greek: ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Paul Ben-Victor.

Biography
Vondas is The Greek's second-in-command and acted as a buffer between The Greek and his illegal activities, using a small cafe as his base of operations. The name Spiros Vondopolous is one of a range of identities that he has available to him. He holds Hungarian and Croatian passports but it is unclear if he is really a citizen of these countries. He is later shown destroying his Hungarian passport during a meal with The Greek. His Hungarian name is Janos Kovats and he comes from Budapest. His Croatian name is Kirko Skaddeng and he is ostensibly a medical assistant from Osijek. He tells Nick Sobotka that he has "many names, many passports." Vondas's actual name and nationality are unknown, though his alias is Greek in origin.

Season 2
Vondas manages all aspects of the Greek's illicit shipping business, but keeps a low, surveillance-conscious profile. He is Frank Sobotka's point of contact for his smuggling with The Greek. He was even-tempered and patient, often having to soothe an increasingly angry and frightened Sobotka as the Baltimore police began a serious investigation into Sobotka's union. He also handled much less savory tasks: when a sailor in the Greek's employ, Sam, murdered fourteen girls meant for work as prostitutes Vondas killed the man once the Greek had interrogated him. Vondas managed the Greek's drug dealing through their Israeli lieutenant Eton Ben-Eleazer. His own personnel involved in the smuggling operation included driver and enforcer Sergei "Serge" Malatov and organization fence George "Double G" Glekas. He often met with Nick Sobotka, who frequently served as Frank's go-between, and Vondas took an almost paternal interest in the younger man. Impressed with Nick's intelligence, he gave him the task of stealing a shipment of chemicals. He intervened in a dispute over a debt between Nick's cousin Ziggy Sobotka and a drug dealer supplied by the Greek, Cheese Wagstaff. Despite a personal dislike for Ziggy he ordered Serge to argue his case to Proposition Joe, Cheese's uncle and superior. Vondas' distrust of Ziggy proved correct when Ziggy killed Glekas in an argument over payment for stolen goods. Ziggy was arrested soon afterwards and Vondas distanced the murder from the rest of the operation by removing all evidence of the business from the warehouse.

Spiros Vondas When Lieutenant Daniels's port detail began investigating the Greek's activity Frank Sobotka realized and tipped Vondas. During the finale outset's of the investigation, the detail finally got a photo of Spiros when he was meeting drug lieutenant Eton on the waterfront of Baltimore. The detail then surveilled his home and followed him to meetings at hotel rooms and the diner where he met with associates. The Greek ordered Vondas to shut down the smuggling temporarily and replaced all of his personnel's telephones. The Greek withdrew from their meeting place at the cafe and began meeting Vondas in hotel rooms. When the detail began rounding up the members of the Greek's smuggling ring, they held off on Vondas as they felt he could lead them to the Greek. When Sobotka was arrested Vondas suggested that they could broker his loyalty by having a witness against Ziggy change his story. He put the proposition to Frank through Nick. Frank had already agreed to testify against the Greek's crew, but decided to meet with them for Ziggy's sake. The Greek learned of Frank's agreement through his inside man at the FBI, agent Koutris, and had Vondas murder Frank. Following the murder Vondas left the country under a fake passport with the Greek, using the alias Kirko Skaddeng. Before Vondas left he met with Proposition Joe to assure him that the Greek's operation would continue to supply him using new personnel after a short break to avoid the investigation.

220

Season 4
After a shipment from the Greek to Proposition Joe's New Day Co-Op was stolen by Omar Little, Joe set up a meeting with Vondas and Marlo Stanfield in order to assuage Marlo's suspicions that Joe had set him up in order to make him pay twice for the same shipment. It was thus revealed that Vondas had returned to Baltimore some time after the Major Crimes investigation of the docks had ended, and that he had resumed his working relationship with Proposition Joe. While Marlo was satisfied with Vondas's explanation, he placed a tail on him in order to learn more about his role in importing the shipments into Baltimore.

Season 5
Once the Major Crimes investigation into his organization was shut down, Marlo Stanfield felt secure enough in making a move to establish a direct relationship with Vondas and the Greeks. He researched the port case and discovered that former Greek soldier Sergei Malatov was incarcerated at Jessup. After paying prison gang leader Avon Barksdale to gain access to Sergei, Marlo used him to locate the Greeks' diner headquarters and dropped off a large sum of money in order to persuade Vondas to grant him a meeting. Vondas was displeased that Marlo had brought him dirty money, from the street, and insisted that all business would continue to go through Joe, then sent him on his way. Marlo quickly cleaned his cash, and dropped off the fresh money at the diner, telling Vondas' man that he didn't mean for there to be any misunderstanding. Marlo once again meets with Vondas, and attempts to sell himself as an insurance policy for the Greeks, implying that if something were to happen to Proposition Joe, they would need another agent they could do business with. While Vondas believes that all that matters is that the Greeks already have a secure relationship with someone they trust, The Greek states that Marlo makes a valid point that it is wise to have an insurance policy in volatile times, implicitly telling Marlo that if he moves on Joe, they will not stop him. After Marlo leaves, Vondas and the Greek seem resigned to Joe's demise and to initiating a new business relationship with Marlo, believing that Joe's time has come, and that Marlo's tenacity and ambition will not allow him to accept the Greeks' rejection of his business overtures. After Marlo has Proposition Joe murdered, he received the blessing of Vondas to be Joe's replacement as agent between Vondas' drug shipments and the New Day Co-op's drug distribution activities. Later, Stanfield's first re-supply with the Greeks is busted by the Major Crimes Unit, and as part of a deal with the State's Attorney's office, Stanfield is forced to retire from his life of crime. To set himself up for life, Stanfield sells the connection to the Greeks to whoever can pay him ten million dollars. In the series finale, Vondas is seen meeting with Fat Face Rick and Slim Charles at Little Johnny's Diner. They are discussing the new business arrangement

Spiros Vondas while The Greek quietly listens in the background.

221

The Greek
The Greek
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Bill Raymond Information Gender Occupation Male International smuggling/Organized Crime Boss

The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking.[1] The Greek is a mysterious figure involved in numerous criminal activities. His given name is never mentioned on the show, and though he is known only as "The Greek", he has stated (in the episode Port in a Storm) that he is not actually Greek. A quiet and unassuming man, the Greek prefers to keep a low profile, operating all of his business through his lieutenant Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. His smuggling organization operated from a small diner in Baltimore for years, and while Vondas would conduct business the Greek would listen in quietly at the counter. Nick Sobotka, upon seeing the Greek identify himself, was amazed that the shadowy figure had been in plain sight the entire time. Despite his calm appearance, the Greek is cunning and ruthless, and only interested in facts that make him more money. Series creator David Simon has said that The Greek is an embodiment of raw unencumbered capitalism.[2] Anyone interfering in this process is eliminated immediately, and he prefers to leave victims headless and handless to hinder identification. The Greek's smuggling operation includes importing sex trade workers, illicit drugs, stolen goods and chemicals for drug processing. He bribes union stevedores to move containers through the Baltimore port for him and uses his muscle, Sergei "Serge" Malatov, to run containers back and forth from the port to his warehouse, a front managed by "Double G" Glekas. The Greek supplies the major drug dealers in East Baltimore with pure cocaine and heroin, using Eton Ben-Eleazer to move his drugs. His chief client is Proposition Joe, but he is also affiliated with smaller drug dealing organizations like those run by "White Mike" McArdle. His sex trade interests in Baltimore include a brothel run by a madam named Ilona Petrovitch, bringing in girls from eastern Europe. He manages to avoid prosecution for his crimes because an FBI counter-terrorism agent named Kristos Koutris tips him off if a criminal investigation gets too close. It is suggested he and Vondas may serve as federal informants.

Biography
Season 2
The Greek began to draw police attention in Baltimore when his contact at the docks, Frank Sobotka, became the target of an investigation. At the same time a container of thirteen dead young women intended for the sex trade was discovered at the docks, triggering a high-profile homicide investigation. The container belonged to the Greek and the girls were killed by a crewman onboard the vessel that had delivered them. The ship's crew had been paying the girls for sex and when one of the girls refused, she was killed. The crewman responsible dumped her overboard and

The Greek collapsed the air pipe to kill the remaining women. The Greek had Sergei track the crewman down, interrogated him personally, and had Vondas kill him. As the investigation continued the police were able to link Eton and Sergei to the drug smuggling operation. When police began tracking containers as they left the port, The Greek and Vondas began to close down the operation temporarily by dumping their cell phones and stealing "clean" containers. Persuading Sobotka to keep the smuggling operation going he bought further protection from Agent Koutris by betraying a load of Colombian cocaine, giving him time to destroy incriminating evidence in the warehouse and Glekas' store. The Greek recognized that the investigation was too extensive to stop and made plans to leave, sending Vondas to assure Proposition Joe that supply of drugs would continue albeit with new faces. He attempted to buy Sobotka's silence with promised legal aid for his son, but when he learned from Koutris that Frank was planning to turn informant he had the union man killed. Although Frank's nephew Nick Sobotka was able to identify The Greek in a photo and Sergei was pressured to give up the location of his hotel suite, Vondas and the Greek had already boarded a flight to Chicago. Aware that the Greek and Vondas were gone, the police left the investigation behind and moved on to the drug dealers he supplied.

222

Seasons 4 & 5
The Greek continued to supply "Proposition Joe" Stewart, who formed an organization with other drug dealers called the New Day Co-Op to provide The Greek's product to them in exchange for reduced violence and sharing of territory. When Omar Little steals an entire shipment of heroin from the Greek's men as it is being delivered to Stewart's people, Marlo Stanfield demands a meeting with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos in order to allay his fears that Stewart was responsible.[3][4] Once Stanfield is satisfied, he waits for the Major Crimes Unit's investigation into his activities to cease and then moves to establish a direct relationship with Vondas and the Greek. After getting in communication with Vondas through former soldier Sergei,[5][6] Marlo eventually sells himself as Joe's replacement by convincing the Greek that he requires an insurance policy in the form of a replacement for Proposition Joe, in the event that anything should happen to him. Realizing that Stanfield will move against Stewart regardless of his approval, the Greek accepts Marlo's proposal to act as an "insurance policy," knowing that it will mean Joe's death.[7][8] After Stewart's murder, Stanfield meets with Vondas to initiate their new business relationship.[9][10] Stanfield's tenure proves short lived when he is forced into retirement by an investigation, and the other Co-Op members purchase the connection from Stanfield. In the closing scenes of the series finale, Slim Charles and Fat-Face Rick take over meeting with Vondas while the Greek listens quietly in the background.[11][12]

References
[1] "Character profile - The Greek" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ the_greek. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-16. [2] Meghan O'Rourke (2006). "Behind The Wire" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2154694/ pagenum/ all/ ). Slate. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [3] Ernest Dickerson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2004-12-10). "Final Grades". The Wire. episode 13. season 4. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2007-10-17. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 54 Transitions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode54. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-05. [9] Agnieszka Holland; David Mills (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-03). "React Quotes". The Wire. episode 5. season 5. HBO.

The Greek
[10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 55 React Quotes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode55. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-05. [11] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [12] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 30" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10.

223

Chris Partlow
Chris Partlow
First appearance "Straight and True" (episode 3.05) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Gbenga Akinnagbe Information Gender Occupation Male Former drug organization enforcer/Prisoner

Chris Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe.[1] Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's best friend, bodyguard, and second-in-command in his drug dealing operation. Despite his quiet demeanor, Partlow commits more on- and off-screen murders than any other character. Although he is a ruthless killer, he is shown to genuinely care about the soldiers under his command, especially Michael Lee, whom he takes under his wing as a protege. According to a David Simon audio commentary, Partlow was the victim of molestation, explaining his ferocious attack on Michael Lee's stepfather.

Character storyline
Season 3
Partlow is a key player in the turf war with the Barksdale organization and is always looking out for Stanfield's safety. He often meets with Marlo and his adviser Vinson to discuss their strategy. Partlow's cautious observation revealed Avon Barksdale's car when he tries to set a trap for Stanfield. Partlow fires on the car in a drive by shooting, wounding Avon and killing one of his soldiers. When Marlo Stanfield murders Devonne for spying, Partlow accompanies him and calmly tells him that it needed to be done. When Stringer Bell is murdered, Partlow and Snoop are assumed to be responsible and they do nothing to dispel these rumors. The turf war comes to an end when Stringer's death and Avon's arrest lead to the demise of the Barksdale Organization and Stanfield assumes control of most of the drug trade in Western Baltimore.[2]

Season 4
Partlow carries out murders as Stanfield orders them. Working alongside young female soldier "Snoop," he disposes of bodies by opening up vacant buildings, covering the corpses in quicklime and sheeting, and then nailing the buildings shut. When Stanfield dealer Fruit is killed, Partlow advises restraint, suggesting they kill the perpetrator instead of all the members of the independent drug crew he works with. Marlo agrees with Chris' approach and gives him the go-ahead to kill Fruit's murderer, Lex. Chris arranges for Lex to be ambushed by paying Little Kevin to tell him his girlfriend wants to meet him at night in a secluded spot. Kevin pays an unwitting Randy Wagstaff to pass on the message. Once the trap is sprung, Lex is killed by Chris and Snoop. Chris is also responsible for the murder of a

Chris Partlow security guard who "talked back" to Marlo. Rumors on the street tie Chris to several other murders including victims known as Pookie and Byron. Partlow continues to be Marlo's key adviser. He tries to dissuade Marlo from playing at a high stakes card game where he is losing a considerable amount of money. When the game is robbed by Omar Little, Marlo asks Partlow for his advice on how best to deal with Omar. Partlow suggests a more subtle approach than simply placing a bounty on Omar. They plan to stage a robbery of their associate Old Face Andre and blame the robbery on Omar, having Andre identify him. Partlow carries out the robbery himself and kills a delivery woman and beats Andre to lend credence to their scenario. Marlo entrusts Partlow with cultivating new prospect Michael Lee. Michael is a middle school child who Marlo believes would make a good soldier. Partlow is responsible for intimidating Lex's crew chief Bodie Broadus into giving up his corner, since Marlo has seen that he has turned it into a profitable location. Partlow forces Bodie to accept Marlo's package, which is inferior to the high quality heroin he had been purchasing from Proposition Joe Stewart. He asks Bodie about Michael, having noticed that he worked with him for a time. Partlow tracks Michael to his home and then approaches him when he is talking with friends in an alley. He offers him cash and promises of protection if he joins the organization, an offer Michael eventually accepts after the unwelcome return of his stepfather, Devar. Chris and Snoop take care of the situation with Michael's stepfather. When he confronts Devar, Partlow questions him about molestation, something that Michael strongly hints at over the course of the fourth season, and asks him about any past sexual activity in prison. Chris proceeds to viciously beat him to death, in stark contrast to the business-like way his other hits are carried out, suggesting that Chris too may have been a victim of molestation as a child. Michael joins their organization under the condition they also look out for his younger brother, Bug. Chris takes Michael on as a protege to the point where Marlo refers to Michael as Chris' "pup". Partlow appears to relate to Michael and his implied history of abuse and teaches him the rules of the drug trade. Partlow and Snoop are twice pulled over by detectives during the season. The first time, they were confronted by Herc, who had been following them, but Partlow was able to hide their firearms in a hidden compartment. Herc discovers their nail gun and lime in the back of the vehicle, but takes little notice. Once they are released, Partlow disposes of the nail gun. The second time, they are confronted by Kima and Bunk. Snoop again hides their firearms, but Kima discovers the compartment. Chris and Snoop are arrested but later released, as the police can tie neither the weapons nor the vehicle to either of them. Eventually, the police are able to demonstrate not only that Chris (and thus Marlo) are responsible for the chain of disappearances in West Baltimore, but also that they have been disposing of the bodies in row houses all over town.[3]

224

Season 5
Partlow faces weapon charges from his arrest at the car stop but manages to get the hearings delayed. The police are unable to gather enough evidence to file charges on the vacant house murders and begin a prolonged surveillance operation into the Stanfield Organization. Stanfield and Partlow respond by stopping all phone communication and only meeting face to face. They are forced to curtail their violent activity while under investigation. Partlow continues to mentor Michael Lee, who now runs his own corner. Stanfield is plotting to take over the New Day Co-Op and usurp "Proposition Joe" Stewart's connection to his suppliers, The Greek. Stanfield instructs Partlow to arrange a meeting with imprisoned Ukrainian enforcer Sergei Malatov to broker a meeting with The Greek. To this end Partlow finds information on Malatov at the court house.[4][5] Eventually the Major Case Unit is shut down as part of Mayor Carcetti's cutbacks; Stanfield and Partlow soon notice they are no longer being closely watched. Stanfield orders Partlow and Snoop to kill Junebug (a rival who may have been spreading rumors about Stanfield), attack Webster Franklin's territory, as he had refused the Stanfield package and to lure Omar Little out of retirement. Partlow has already arranged for Stanfield to visit Malatov at MCI Jessup.[6][7] Partlow leaves the Webster Franklin assignment to Snoop but takes Snoop and Michael with him to kill Junebug. Partlow waits for Junebug at his home and tutors Michael in the importance of the element of surprise. Partlow

Chris Partlow orders Michael to watch the back of the house while Snoop disables nearby cameras. Partlow and Snoop then stage a home invasion, killing Junebug, his bodyguard and his domestic partner. Two children are also present and escape with their lives. One hides in a closet while the other flees the house. Michael has been ordered to kill anyone who tries to escape but he lets the child go. The triple homicide is investigated by Detective Kima Greggs.[6][7] Stanfield offers a bounty to anyone who can provide a way to get to Omar. Stewart's nephew Cheese comes forward without Stewart's knowledge and reveals Omar's link to Butchie. Partlow and Snoop attack Butchie at his bar and kill one of his bodyguards and wound the other. They torture Butchie but do not learn anything about Omar's whereabouts. Partlow kills Butchie and instructs his surviving bodyguard to ensure that word reaches Omar. Snoop is worried about the plan as it means that Omar will now be targeting them while they still have no knowledge of his whereabouts but Partlow refuses to question Stanfield.[8][9] Stanfield is successful in reaching the Greeks and Partlow accompanies him to a meeting with Spiros Vondas. Stanfield persuades The Greeks to think of him as an insurance policy against Stewart being unable to do business with them in the future. Stanfield then convinces Cheese to betray Stewart by having Partlow kidnap Cheese's rivalan East side Co-Op dealer named Hungry Man. Partlow delivers Hungry Man to Cheese and Cheese gives up Stewart in exchange. Stanfield and Partlow trap Stewart in his home and Partlow murders Stewart while Stanfield watches.[10] As Marlo meets with Spiros Vondas in a city park, Partlow and a Greek enforcer watch over the area. Vondas explains how Marlo is to communicate with him using picture messages on a Blackberry phone. As the meet ends, Marlo tells Chris how good it feels to be wearing the crown and suggests a celebratory trip to Atlantic City. A cautious Partlow reminds Marlo that Omar is going to make a move on them, suggesting that it is not the best time for a vacation. Partlow then tells his family that he will be going away on business for a few weeks. Marlo watches from the car side as Partlow plays in the yard with his baby girl. Later that evening Omar observes Monk's condominium. Chris later informs Marlo of Omar's reconnaissance. When Omar later attacks Monk's apartment, he walks into a trap: Partlow, together with Michael, Snoop and O-Dog are lying in wait. Omar jumps from the balcony to escape, severely injuring his leg in the process and Donnie is shot in the head by one of the Stanfield soldiers (presumably Chris). With Omar at large, Partlow lies low for his own safety, worried about the safety of his girlfriend and children. After Omar is killed by Kenard, Partlow is shown to be disappointed, but he readily returns to work. In the meantime, Bunk has connected Partlow with the murder of Michael's stepfather using DNA evidence. Bunk delays arresting Partlow as a favor to McNulty and Lester, but when the police bust a narcotics resupply transaction from the Greeks, Partlow is charged with murder, preventing his release on bail. Levy represents Partlow as well as Stanfield and suspects an illegal wiretap due to the speed with which charging documents were produced. In an effort to preserve as much of the case as possible, Pearlman strikes a bargain with Levy: Levy will convince the Stanfield organization to plead to various charges in exchange for Pearlman not revealing Levy's bribery of Grand Jury Prosecutor Gary DiPasquale at the city courthouse. Part of this deal involves Partlow pleading guilty to not only the murder of Michael's stepfather, but all of the bodies found in the vacants, charges which yield a sentence of life without parole. He willingly takes the life sentence for the Stanfield organization on the condition that his girlfriend and children are taken care of financially. Partlow is briefly seen during the end-of-season montage conversing amicably with Wee-Bey Brice in the courtyard of the Maryland State prison; they are in a similar situation, both having been primary enforcers for West Baltimore kingpins, and now both serving life sentences for committing (and taking sole responsibility for) murders at the behest of their respective bosses.

225

Chris Partlow

226

References
[1] "Cast & Crew - Gbenga Akinnagbe as Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ gbenga_akinnagbe. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [2] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-27. [3] "Character profile - Chris Partlow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chris_partlow. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [9] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [10] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

227

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

This article is about the fictional character. For the actress who plays the character, see Felicia Pearson.

Felicia Pearson
First appearance "Homecoming"(episode 3.06) Last appearance "Late Editions" (episode 5.09) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Felicia Pearson Information Aliases Gender Occupation Family Children Snoop Female Former drug organization enforcer Sister, unnamed None

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Wire played by an actress of the same name. She is a young female soldier in Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing organization, the earliest protege of Chris Partlow.[1] As one of the experienced leaders of Stanfield's crew, she commits many ruthless murders on their behalf.

Season 3
Snoop is a gangster shown mid-way in the escalating war between the Barksdale Organization and the Stanfield Organization as one of the new recruits in training, under the wing of Chris Partlow. She was often seen hanging with Chris and other Stanfield peers before eventually being assigned her first hit by Chris, who deemed her ready to kill. She was responsible for killing Barksdale soldier Rico in a drive-by shooting on Poot Carr's corner. She also took part in Chris' efforts to foil an assassination attempt against Marlo Stanfield. After Stringer Bell was killed by Omar Little and Brother Mouzone, Snoop boasted that she and Chris Partlow had murdered him.

Season 4
Snoop is shown a year later as an adept enforcer and significantly recognized as part of the trusted inner circle of Marlo. She and Chris are assigned most of the hits that Marlo initiates, with Snoop assisting Chris in many murders by way of luring the victim to a secluded area and by helping to organize the method of concealment. She is never shown as the actual murderer. The pair dispose of the bodies by depositing them in abandoned buildings, covering them with quicklime and tarps, and boarding up the buildings again. When they re-board the doors, they use a distinctive nail gun which Snoop purchased in the first scene of the season; later, these nails become key clues that enable the police to find the bodies. After Sergeant Hauk pulls them over and spots the nail gun, Chris discards it, to Snoop's chagrin. Among the people murdered by Chris and Snoop are "Lex" Anderson, Little Kevin, Old Face Andre, several New York drug dealers, and a security guard who talked back to Marlo. Tired of always concealing her crimes, Snoop tries to keep the guard's badge as a souvenir, but Chris throws the badge away. The pair were also responsible for intimidating Bodie Broadus into accepting Marlo's drug supply and for recruiting middle school child Michael Lee into their organization. They also train the next generation of soldiers for Stanfield's organization, including O-Dog. At the end of the season, it's revealed that she is a lesbian when Bunk says to her: "i'm thinking about some pussy"

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and she replies "me too".

228

Season 5
In season five, Snoop continues to act as muscle for Marlo alongside Chris Partlow. A recurring theme that is established is the tension that exists between her and Michael. While Snoop carries out orders from her superiors without question, Michael tends to voice his opinion about certain situations. This occurs when Chris, Snoop and Michael are about to make a hit on Junebug (a rival drug dealer spreading malicious words about Marlo) and after Omar kills Savino Bratton. Snoop is murdered by Michael Lee when he rightly suspects Snoop is about to kill him, due to Marlo's suspicion that he had been talking to the police about the Stanfield organization. When Michael draws his gun she compliments him on his intelligence and asks, "How you know?" She is accepting of her fate and glances away from Michael out the window and into the wing mirror, almost totally nonchalant. Her final words are, "How my hair look, Mike?" Michael answers, "You look good, girl" and shoots her in the head.

Production
Origins
Snoop's name is seen for the first time, very briefly, in a season three episode, written on a post-it note and being pinned up to the board. Her name is also pinned on the board in the first episode of season 4 "Boys of Summer". Her name and picture is up on the details board under Chris Partlow as Felicia Pearson AKA "SNOOP". Her name can once again be seen briefly early in the season 5 episode "Transitions", as well as in Randy Wagstaff's police file in "The Dickensian Aspect".[2] "Snoop" is the actress's nickname in real life.[3]

Reception
Several critics have praised Pearson's performance as especially frightening.[4][5][6][7] Writer Stephen King called the character "perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series."[6]

References
[1] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-27. [2] "Character profile - Snoop" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ snoop. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [3] "HBO series The Wire's Snoop Pearson" (http:/ / www. danaroc. com/ inspiring_032006snooppearson. html). Danaroc.com. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-17. [4] Ken Tucker (2006). "5 Reasons to Live" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ commentary/ 0,6115,1528101_7_0_,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-26. [5] Michael Endelman (2006). ""Wire" education" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ commentary/ 0,6115,1533484_3_0_,00. html#TheWireHBO). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-26. [6] Stephen King (2006). "Setting Off a 'Wire' Alarm" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1333799,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-26. [7] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27.

Wee-Bey Brice

229

Wee-Bey Brice
Roland Brice
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Hassan Johnson Information Aliases Gender Occupation Spouse(s) Children Wee-Bey Male Prisoner (Former Gang enforcer) De'Londa Brice Namond Brice

Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Hassan Johnson. Wee-Bey was the Barksdale Organization's most trusted soldier before being sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple homicides.

Character storyline
Wee-Bey dropped out of school in sixth grade and started dealing drugs on a corner with Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell (both slightly older than he was), eventually becoming the primary soldier in their criminal organization. Wee-Bey was also responsible for more mundane activities including driving and picking up money. Despite his history of violent crime, Wee-Bey is good-natured towards his friends, and has a passion for keeping tropical fish. He has a son, Namond, by a woman named De'Londa, though he had no hesitation about sleeping with other women and maintains a separate residence. De'Londa uses his last name although they are not married.[1] Wee-Bey has the distinction of being one of the few "street" characters to appear in every season of The Wire, the others being Poot Carr, Proposition Joe, Omar Little and Bubbles.

Season 1
Wee-Bey is Barksdale's main soldier. When Avon is "cleaning up" any possible trail of evidence leading back to him, Wee-Bey kills a witness who had previously been bought off. Wee-Bey gets involved in two different gun fights with legendary stick-up man Omar Little, after torturing and killing Omar's partner, accomplice and lover Brandon. Their first encounter ends with Wee-Bey being shot in the leg, but he later defends Avon against Omar, shooting him in the shoulder and forcing him to retreat. Wee-Bey was also linked to the body of a dancer from Orlando's strip club, a Barksdale front company. Although not responsible for her death, he slept with her the evening before and showed little concern after she died from a drug overdose. His callous disposal of her body leads another stripper to give information to the police. Wee-Bey's eventual downfall comes when he and Little Man kill Orlando, who was working as a police informant. During the killing, Little Man shoots Detective Greggs, who was working undercover. Stringer orders Wee-Bey to kill Little Man, stating that he is unreliable as a soldier, and flee town; D'Angelo Barksdale is responsible for driving Wee-Bey to Philadelphia (and taking care of his fish). When D'Angelo is arrested soon after, he gives the police information concerning Wee-Bey's whereabouts and his murder of Dierdre Kresson, a former girlfriend of Avon's. Later, through a combination of the active wiretap and phone records, the police are able to determine Wee-Bey's

Wee-Bey Brice exact location. Baltimore and Philadelphia police arrest Wee-Bey by activating his car alarm, luring him out of his residence unarmed. Once in custody, and guaranteed a life sentence for his involvement in the shooting of a police officer, Wee-Bey confesses to numerous murders, including several he did not commit (with the aim of protecting other people in the Barksdale Organization); in return he asks for a pit beef sandwich with extra horseradish.

230

Season 2
Wee-Bey is imprisoned with Avon, serving life without parole. He keeps artificial fish in his cell and enjoys a relatively easy life under Barksdale's protection. A correctional officer named Dwight Tilghman harasses him because he confessed to murdering a relative of Tilghman's. Wee-Bey complains to Avon, and the problem is swiftly dealt with. Later on, after D'Angelo's supposed suicide (his death was in fact orchestrated by Stringer Bell, who felt D'Angelo may turn informer against the Barksdale Organization), Wee-Bey reassures Avon that D'Angelo's death was not his fault.

Season 3
Wee-Bey appears only briefly, helping Avon approach legendary prisoner Dennis "Cutty" Wise to offer him a position in their organization. Both Wise and Avon are paroled, leaving Wee-Bey to serve his time without them.

Season 4
Wee-Bey's teenaged son becomes involved with the drug trade, getting a job with his old colleague Bodie Broadus. Namond is also responsible for his fish. When Brianna Barksdale cuts off the monthly payments that the Barksdale organization had been making to the Brices, Namond is further pressured into dealing, mainly by his mother De'Londa. Howard "Bunny" Colvin takes a liking to Namond after meeting him in a special program for troubled youth that Colvin helped supervise. Seeing potential in the boy, Colvin approaches Wee-Bey and asks his permission to take Namond into his home. Colvin tells Wee-Bey that the changing face of the drug trade and Namond's capabilities in other areas make him better suited to a life off the streets. Though initially reluctant, Wee Bey agrees that Colvin's offer gives Namond the best chance of escaping the drug trade and making something of himself. Acknowledging that anything would be preferable to a life as a soldier, Wee-Bey orders De'Londa to allow Colvin to assume guardianship of Namond, implicitly threatening her when she appears reluctant to let Namond go.

Season 5
Wee-Bey is briefly seen during the end-of-season montage conversing amicably with Chris Partlow in the courtyard of the Maryland State prison; they are in a similar situation, both having been primary enforcers for West Baltimore kingpins, and now both serving life sentences for committing (and taking sole responsibility for) murders at the behest of their respective bosses.

Real life origins

Ed Burns investigated several high-end drug traffickers in the 1980s. One of these was a heroin dealer named Thomas H. Taylor, whose partner, Vernon Collins, was known as Bey-Brother. He was described by one FBI informant as a "narcotics hit man who is feared throughout the narcotics underworld in Baltimore."[2] Collins is mentioned in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets as one of Baltimore's notorious contract killers in the late 1970s along with Dennis Wise (who spawned a character of the same name played by actor Chad Coleman.) Wee-Bey is a reference to this hit man and drug trafficker. Collins was arrested in 1987 and sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.

Wee-Bey Brice

231

References
[1] HBO (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ delonda_brice. shtml) [2] http:/ / bulk. resource. org/ courts. gov/ c/ F2/ 857/ 857. F2d. 210. 88-5503. 88-5502. html

Bodie Broadus
Preston Broadus
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Final Grades" (episode 4.13) Created by Portrayed by David Simon J.D. Williams Information Aliases Occupation Family Bodie Crew Chief grandmother; brother James, deceased

Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks. Intelligent and violent, he is willing to do what it takes to get ahead in the drug world, to the point of (hesitantly) taking part in the murder of friend and fellow dealer Wallace on orders from Stringer Bell. His relationship with the police is also dynamic. His frequent interactions with Ellis Carver and Thomas "Herc" Hauk begin as purely hostile but improve over time. He eventually earns the respect of Officer Jimmy McNulty.

Biography
Preston "Bodie" Broadus was raised by his disillusioned grandmother after his mother fell into addiction and homelessness, dying when he was four years old. He began working with the Barksdales at age 13. His older brother James was a renowned street dealer, who had working ties to Dennis "Cutty" Wise; he too was killed early in Bodie's life, depriving him of immediate familial support.

Season 1
Bodie, aged 16, worked under D'Angelo Barksdale in the low-rise projects known as "The Pit", with his friends Poot and Wallace. He was a more prominent member of the area, and was also more openly violent and hostile than his peers. This caused Bodie to chafe under D'Angelo's soft style of leadership and lead him to sometimes challenge his authority. When The Pit's stash was robbed, he made a positive impression on Stringer Bell by noticing the name of the stick-up artist, Omar Little, and describing the van. Bodie often displayed a quick, violent temper; he instigated the severe beating of drug addict Johnny Weeks after getting angry at Wallace for letting the group get ripped off with fake dollar bills. In a later conversation in which D'Angelo tries to emphasize decent treatment of the customers, Bodie is unsympathetic; this is perhaps because of his mother's addiction-fueled negligence while she was still alive. In telling his troubled past to Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk, Bodie's grandmother says that when she took him in, "he was only four, but even then, I knew he was angry." Later, Bodie punched Detective Mahon while being searched. Bodie received a beating for this, from Detectives Hauk, Greggs and Carver. He was arrested, but almost immediately after arriving at a juvenile detention facility, he walked out and stole a car, and was soon back in Baltimore dealing again. He became a personal target of

Bodie Broadus Herc and Carver, who picked him up in the pit and gave him a second beating. However, while waiting for prisoner transfer, they softened towards him over a game of pool. The Barksdale Organization's lawyer, Maurice Levy, soon convinced a judge to release Bodie. Herc and Carver were incredulous at this, but when they realized he had legitimately beaten the charges against him (thanks to Levy), they relented. Later, Bodie was tasked by Stringer Bell to murder his erstwhile friend Wallace after Avon Barksdale decided to eliminate anyone who might talk to the police. Bodie's willingness to carry out the hit further impressed Stringer. He gathered Poot with little hesitation to aid him in his job. During the lead up to the hit, Bodie was the more confident of the two; however, when they cornered a fearful Wallace, who pleaded with his friends, Bodie showed much hesitation. Only after Poot told him to finish it did he pull the trigger. Although Bodie fired the initial shot, he found it difficult to follow through and kill Wallace as he saw his friend dying in agony. Poot took the gun and finished Wallace off for both of them, and Bodie left the room soon after. After the arrest of his one-time mentor and crew chief D'Angelo, Bodie's leadership skills shined and he stepped into the position by gathering The Pit's members to physically force away a rival drug gang.

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Season 2
Stringer began entrusting Bodie with more difficult tasks, such as picking up the main supply in Philadelphia, and assigned him one of the prized Franklin Terrace Towers to run. Poot was assigned to run the pit and he reported to Bodie. They faced problems with poor quality product because the Barksdales' favored New York suppliers severed ties following Avon's arrest. Bodie came up with considered suggestions to work around the problem at Stringer's meetings. When an independent crew of dealers moved in on the Barksdales' territory, Bodie's violent outburst led the other crew to start a gunfight which resulted in the accidental death of a child. After failing to adequately dispose of the guns, Bodie was picked up and interrogated by detectives Ed Norris and Ray Cole in connection with the crime. They attempted to bluff a confession out of him, but he saw through their trick and was released. Stringer was unhappy with him, and ordered him to welcome "Proposition" Joe Stewart's dealers to the towers, because Joe was providing high-quality product. He and the other West Siders started friendly competition to entice buyers away from Joe's nephew, Cheese. Bodie was pleased when Brother Mouzone drove away the East Side dealers, but worried about the quality of the product that would be available to his crew without Proposition Joe's help.

Season 3
The Franklin Towers were demolished and Avon Barksdale was released from prison. Western District Major Colvin tried to deal with the spread of the drug problem by offering "drug zones" where dealers and users would go unpunished. Bodie worked in one such zone nicknamed "Hamsterdam"; this brought him back into contact with Herc and Carver, now working in the Western District. When the police made their inevitable move on shutting down the free zones, Detectives McNulty and Greggs tried to arrest Bodie for possession. Bodie, having already once been stopped but quickly released by McNulty on his way into Hamsterdam, displayed his characteristically sharp mind during interrogation and cited entrapment (or "contrapment" as he mistakenly put it) leading to wrongful arrest, leaving an impressed McNulty and Pearlman no choice but to let him go. He also helped Dennis "Cutty" Wise to contact Avon Barksdale on several occasions; the two appear to have a rapport and mutual respect most likely derived from Cutty having known Bodie's older brother. The Barksdale organization became embroiled in a turf war with Marlo Stanfield's crew. Although Bodie's crew was badly beaten, Bodie himself was not present at the time of the assault. The escalating murder rate brought further police attention. Avon was sent back to prison, Stringer was murdered and the gang was scattered. Bodie was one of the few prominent Barksdale members not present at the home-base, which spared him from the weapons charges.

Bodie Broadus

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Season 4
By Season Four, Bodie had become the de facto head crew chief for the gutted Barksdale organization, being one of three remaining prominent Barksdale loyalists not jailed or dead. Bodie was forced onto a less-desirable corner due to the Stanfield Organization's complete control of what used to be the Barksdale Organization's prime territories. His newest crew included his second in command Curtis "Lex" Anderson, Little Kevin and Reesy; he employed Namond Brice as a runner out of respect for his father's reputation, despite Namond's poor attitude and lack of street skills. He tried to tempt Michael Lee, a far more effective runner, to take a permanent position at his corner, but Michael declined. Bodie's experience and intelligence allowed him to build up a solid business in his out of way corner, even with a lack of muscle and experienced support, as he only was able to hire younger dealers and inexperienced students like Namond. He continued to have dealings with Sergeant Carver and Officer McNulty, since his operation fell within their jurisdiction, and was considered a source of information for the two; this was shown most when they immediately came to him in confidence after Lex's disappearance. After being released from prison mid-way through the season, Bodie's oldest surviving colleague Poot returned and helped Bodie by working on his corner. Bodie was supplied quality product by ex-Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles, now the de facto leader of the gutted organization, also known for working on behalf of Proposition Joe. Slim's connections and support helped Bodie build his corner into one of the busiest drug markets. Chris Partlow and Marlo saw this and a few days later offered Bodie an ultimatum: let Marlo's operation take over the corner by force, or remain but work Marlo's package. Bodie had little support from his crew, and even after seeking out Slim Charles was still enraged to submit. After Slim refused to help on the basis of being outnumbered, Bodie acknowledges the lower quality package of drugs that Marlo was supplying from, compared to the high-potency Proposition Joe package, which makes him more determined not to back down for fear of damaging his already fragile business; he ultimately began selling the package offered by Marlo, after realizing that neither Proposition Joe nor the other members of the Co-Op would come to his aid. In a fit of romantic jealousy, Bodie's second, Lex murdered his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend: a Stanfield dealer known as Fruit. In retribution, Stanfield enforcers Chris and Snoop executed Lex, in an ambush he was lured into by his co-worker Little Kevin. Little Kevin in turn was executed by the pair weeks later because of his failure to follow directions to the letter. Bodie felt that Marlo was violating the rules of the drug trade, yet he was unaware of Little Kevin's betrayal of Lex. He sought Poot for advice on the matter, but his old colleague disagreed with his resistant stance, saying when they killed Wallace, it was just as unjustified. Bodie however remained certain that Wallace's death was necessary, as it involved (supposed) betrayal, whereas Marlo's murders were on the basis of ruthless killings. After Little Kevin's body was discovered, a grief-stricken Bodie was arrested for kicking in the windows of a patrol car in rage; he was responsible for advising Little Kevin to go see Marlo after the latter asked for his audience. He was released on the recommendation of McNulty, who hoped to turn Bodie as an informant against Marlo. Bodie expressed resistance to giving information on his former Barksdale allies, but was eager to talk about Marlo's crew. McNulty had an increasing respect for Bodie which had been developing since Season 1; this and their unified hatred of everything Marlo had done ultimately convinced Bodie that he needed to step up in order to stop the wave of ruthless murder that Marlo had been causing. Bodie was seen getting into McNulty's car by Monk, one of Marlo's lieutenants, who later relayed this information to Marlo, who swiftly ordered his death. Later that night, Bodie is dealing with Poot and Spider when Chris and Snoop set up an ambush. Bodie refused to submit anymore and, despite Spider's retreat and Poot's pleas to run away with him, held his ground by firing at the pair. After Poot realizes he cannot convince him otherwise, he retreats, and O-Dog[1] arrives from a dark part of the corner and shoots Bodie twice in the head, killing him. When McNulty later asked Poot who had killed Bodie, Poot stated that he held McNulty personally responsible for his friend Bodie's murder.

Bodie Broadus Bodie's death draws parallels to his older brother James, who himself had died young, and effectively deprived the already gutted Barksdale Organization of one of its last loyal members. McNulty, having developed a genuine respect for Bodie throughout the season, is stricken with guilt. Bodie's death is what ultimately convinces McNulty to return to the Major Crime Unit, as he wishes to atone for being responsible for Bodie's death by catching Marlo once and for all. Judging by his age at the start of the series, Bodie was around 20 years old when he was killed.

234

References
[1] HBO (2006). "Episode 50 Synopsis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO.com. . Retrieved 2006-12-12.

Poot Carr

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Poot Carr
Malik Carr
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Clarifications" (episode 5.08) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Tray Chaney Information Aliases Gender Occupation Poot Male Drug Dealer (Barksdale/Stanfield Organizations)

Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him. His time in prison proves to be short, however, and he rejoins his old partners on the drug corners shortly after his release. Eventually, due to the violent nature of the drug trade and the loss of many friends, Poot "outgrows" the lifestyle and pursues a legitimate profession. He has the distinction, along with Wee-Bey Brice and Proposition Joe Stewart, of being the only characters in the drug trade to appear in every season. Of the seventeen front-line Barksdale Organization gang members to feature in Season One to Season Three, twelve die during the course of the show and three more are imprisoned with long sentences. Poot in many ways is the "sole survivor," and the foil to the heavy casualties suffered particularly by Barksdale's organisation. This is despite the fact that he survives being shot at three times, more times than any other character except Omar Little. He distinguishes himself from the other remaining survivor, Slim Charles, as the only one able to move away from drug trade after the organization's collapse.

Biography
Season 1
In season one Poot works in the low rise projects territory called "the pit" under D'Angelo Barksdale, and is friends with fellow dealers Bodie and Wallace. He has a very active sex life, and at one point the Barksdale detail listen in on him having phone sex with a girlfriend. He is depicted as being a contemporary of Bodie and Wallace, making him about sixteen when the show starts. Poot is trapped in the stash house with other members of his crew when it is robbed by Omar. Although he doesn't get hurt, Poot is terrified enough to vomit when Omar leaves. He and Wallace spot Brandon, Omar's boyfriend and accomplice in the heist. Wallace reports the sighting to D'Angelo, even though Poot doesn't believe anyone will come. Stringer Bell arrives soon afterwards with a trio of enforcers. Poot is not as affected as Wallace by the body of Brandon being displayed in their neighborhood as a warning to Omar. The trauma drives Wallace to stop working for the organization. Poot tries to get him to return to work, but he is unsuccessful. Poot follows Wallace and realizes he has turned to drugs to escape his problems. He covers for Wallace with D'Angelo for some time but eventually tells him the truth. Poot's close friendship with Wallace is evident as he stays in constant touch with Wallace after the police move Wallace away to the country. Wallace tells Poot he has chosen to move to live with relatives. During the lead up to the hit, Poot's closer friendship with Wallace made him the less confident of the two; however, when they cornered a

Poot Carr fearful Wallace, who pleaded with his friends, Bodie showed much more hesitation. Only after Poot urged him to finish it did he pull the trigger. Although Bodie fired the initial shot, Poot took the gun from him and finished Wallace off himself, wanting to free his friend from his suffering. After the arrest of his one-time mentor and crew chief D'Angelo, Poot's willingness to continue to serve the Barksdale Organization was shown when he stepped into the position by helping Bodie physically force away a rival drug gang. In the closing scenes of Season One, Poot is seen running the Pit, notably repeating some of the earlier lessons taught to him by D'Angelo to the crew currently working for him.

236

Season 2
In season two Poot is rewarded with a promotion to D'Angelo's old position in charge of drug dealing in the pit. However, he has difficulty controlling his subordinates and struggles with the poor quality product available to the crew. He is significant enough to the organization to attend Stringer's strategy meetings at the funeral home. He continues to work with Bodie who is now in control of his own tower and overseeing the pit. Bodie and Poot become embroiled in a turf dispute with an independent crew that leads to a firefight, in which Bodie, Poot and Puddin fight off six attackers and a child is killed by a stray bullet.

Season 3
In season three the Barksdale organization is forced out of its prime territory by the demolition of the tower buildings - in the cold open of the season premiere, Poot expresses his sadness at the loss of the towers, revealing that he lost his virginity in one of the buildings. It is during this sequence that Bodie reveals Poot's given name to be Malik Carr. Poot remains in charge of his own crew now working on a street corner. The Barksdale organization becomes embroiled in a turf war with the rival Stanfield crew. Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles assures Poot that he will be safe to keep selling narcotics and provides him with more muscle as protection. Poot narrowly escapes being shot in a drive-by on his corner carried out by Stanfield soldier Snoop, which kills Barksdale soldier Rico. At the close of season three Poot is arrested alongside Avon Barksdale and others, implicated in drug dealing by a police wiretap.

Season 4
Poot is released from prison after serving 15 months of a four-year prison sentence and immediately goes back to work with Bodie's crew. He is unhappy to learn that they are now working under Avon's old rival Marlo, but does not seem to mind the change too much.[1][2] Poot is a source of advice for Bodie, who often looked to his old (and last surviving) friend for help when trying to determine how to view Marlo's cutthroat operations. Poot was with Bodie and Spider when Marlo's crew attacks his corner. When it becomes clear that they are outnumbered, and that Bodie would not listen to his word, Poot fled the scene while Bodie chose to fight. Bodie is soon shot to death. When Jimmy McNulty later asks Poot who killed Bodie, Poot tells him that he blames the police for his friend's murder, as Bodie was seen getting into a car with McNulty by Stanfield's lieutenant, Monk.

Season 5
Poot is briefly seen working at a shoe store where Dukie comes in looking for a job. Poot recognizes Dukie and admits he used to work the corners, but says that he got tired of drug dealing and decided to get a legitimate job instead because, like Dennis "Cutty" Wise, "the game got old." He tells Dukie he won't get hired because he is not old enough, and that he should come back after working the corners for a couple more years. This final appearance of Poot draws several parallels to Cutty, and signifies after much hardship he was able to successfully leave the drug trade behind him, an achievement which most of his peers never lived or hoped to accomplish.

Poot Carr

237

References
[1] "Character profile - Poot" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ poot. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-07-24. [2] "Org Chart - The Street" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ street. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-07-25.

D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo Barksdale
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "All Prologue" (episode 2.06) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Larry Gilliard Jr. Information Occupation Family Crew Chief Brianna Barksdale (mother), Avon Barksdale (uncle), Tyrell (son)

D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore. The amorality and ruthlessness of the drug trade gradually wears on his conscience, bringing him into conflict with the Barksdale leadership, most notably Stringer Bell.

Biography
Season 1
D'Angelo Barksdale is a high-ranking lieutenant in the criminal organization of his uncle Avon Barksdale; his mother Brianna is also a high-ranking advisor. Prior to the series, D'Angelo controlled the high-rise tower of 221 West Fremont, a major drug market. He was confronted by dealer "Pooh" Blanchard in the lobby and, in a panic, shot him in front of civilian witnesses. He was quickly arrested and served 8 months in county jail before, in the series premiere, standing trial for this murder, represented by the organization's lawyer Maurice Levy. Though one witness, William Gant, willingly testifies, the organization has scared and/or bribed the other witness, Nakeesha Lyles, to recant her testimony. D'Angelo is thus acquitted. As punishment for his carelessness, Avon demotes D'Angelo to the low rise projects known as "The Pit", where his crew consists of Bodie Broadus, Poot Carr, Wallace, Cass and Sterling. Over the course of the season, D'Angelo grows more and more ambivalent about the drug trade. When William Gant turns up dead, D'Angelo is shaken, assuming Avon had it done as revenge for testifying. He is brought in for questioning by detectives Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland, who trick him into writing a letter of apology to Gant's family. Levy arrives and stops him before he can write anything incriminating, and he is released. He questions his uncle, who evades his accusations and persuades him to remain loyal to the family. D'Angelo is very hesitant about discipline (such as the brutal beating of Johnny Weeks, or punishing dealers Cass and Sterling for stealing small amounts). D'Angelo is also unwittingly involved in a second murder, Avon's girlfriend Deirdre Kresson. When cooperating with the police department after his arrest they question him about this murder. D'Angelo claims he had delivered drugs to Kresson and been a distraction while Wee-Bey Brice killed her. Wee-Bey gladly takes the blame for this and other murders that were unsolved at the time of his arrest since he was facing life without parole either way.

D'Angelo Barksdale Earlier in the season, D'Angelo had falsely claimed responsibility for killing Kresson himself, apparently in an attempt to impress his subordinates Bodie, Poot and Wallace. D'Angelo has a son, Tyrell, by girlfriend Donette. She wants him to move in with her, but her nagging often drives him away. D'Angelo begins dating a dancer from his uncle's strip club, Shardene Innes, and lives with her for a short time, until Shardene finds out about Keesha, another stripper. The police tell her that Keesha had overdosed, died, and was left in a dumpster after attending a Barksdale crew party. She accuses D'Angelo of seeing her as trash that could easily be discarded, and moves out. She goes on to cooperate with the police unit investigating the Barksdale clan. Under D'Angelo's firm leadership, The Pit begins to turn a good profit. It nevertheless becomes a cause for concern when its stash is stolen by Omar Little, and, the next day, the police raid. (Their information is slightly outdated, and they raid a now abandoned stash house, but Detective Lester Freamon finds D'Angelo's pager number on a wall.) Stringer chastises D'Angelo for his sloppiness, and Avon places a bounty on Omar's crew. Wallace and Poot identify Omar's boyfriend, Brandon, in an arcade; D'Angelo relays the message to Stringer, who has Brandon captured, tortured and killed. Wallace becomes haunted by his role in the death of Brandon. Relating to Wallace's aversion to the violence of their trade, D'Angelo develops a friendship with Wallace. When Wallace wants to leave the business after seeing the mutilated body of Brandon, D'Angelo is supportive and gives him money. Stringer begins asking after Wallace; D'Angelo senses that the boy is in trouble and asks Avon to leave him alone, reassuring him that Wallace is no danger to the organization. When Wallace returns and asks for his old job back, D'Angelo tries to get him to leave, but is unable to save him. Wallace is killed at Bell's orders, though D'Angelo remains unaware that Bodie and Poot killed him. Based indirectly on information Shardene provided to the police, D'Angelo is arrested while running drugs from New York, and again interrogated. McNulty tells him Wallace is dead. D'Angelo remembers the trick from before that got him writing a letter to the fictional kids of Mr. Gant and doesn't believe him at first. Stringer Bell comes to talk to him and refuses to answer the question "where's Wallace?" Stringer warns D'Angelo to shut his mouth which confirms in D'Angelo's mind what had happened. He grows angry and tells Stringer he doesn't want to use the family lawyer, permanently driving a wedge in their already fractured relationship. D'Angelo is furious at the murder of Wallace and briefly turns state's witness against the Organization. He tells them where Wee-Bey has fled to after shooting a police officer, and offers numerous details of his uncle's organization. However, a visit from his mother convinces him of his duty to his family, and he backs out of the deal. Due to his refusal to cooperate, he is sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. While serving his sentence, he says the best he can hope for is 10 years before a possibility for parole.

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Season 2
While in prison with Avon and Wee-Bey, D'Angelo turns to snorting heroin. Though he is distant from his uncle, Avon still protects him, and gets him a cushy job in the prison library. Wee-Bey is being harassed by a guard named Dwight Tilghman, who is involved in the prison drug trade. Avon arranges to have his heroin supply laced with rat poison, and advises D'Angelo to stay off the drug for a few days to prove he's not an addict, but does not tell D'Angelo of the plan. Had D'Angelo not taken his uncle's advice he could easily have died himself. At least one of the inmates D'Angelo was friendly with accepted doses of the tainted drugs. After five prisoners die and eight more are in the infirmary, Avon testifies against Tilghman and receives a reduced sentence. D'Angelo refuses to take part in the plan and, disgusted by his uncle's immorality, declares that he wants nothing more to do with his family. Stringer Bell grows afraid that D'Angelo may inform on the organization, knowing how close he had previously been. He hires a contract killer from Washington D.C., who in turn arranges for a prisoner to strangle D'Angelo with a belt in the back room of the library, while the murder is disguised as suicide. No investigation is launched, although McNulty becomes convinced that it was a murder when he is belatedly informed about it. The family continue to believe it was a suicide until Stringer finally tells Avon towards the end of Season 3.

D'Angelo Barksdale His favorite beverage appears to be Ginger Ale, as he is seen asking for and drinking it numerous times throughout the course of season 1.[1]

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Critical response
A San Francisco Chronicle review picked the scene of D'Angelo instructing Bodie and Wallace on the rules of chess as one of the first season's finest moments.[2] They praised the character of D'Angelo and the show's portrayal of his difficulties as "middle management" in the drug organization: having to deal with unreliable subordinates, demanding superiors, and his own conscience.[2]

Other
His name is a tribute to Donald Angelo Barksdale, the first African-American player of the ABA/NBA team Baltimore Bullets.

References
[1] "Character profile - D'Angelo Barksdale" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ Dangelo_Barksdale. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-05. [2] Peter Hartlaub (2002). "Fighting crime, and bureaucrats. Creator of HBO's 'Wire' takes police drama in new direction" (http:/ / www. sfgate. com/ cgi-bin/ article. cgi?f=/ c/ a/ 2002/ 06/ 05/ DD113931. DTL). San Francisco Chronicle. . Retrieved 2007-10-04.

Cheese Wagstaff

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Cheese Wagstaff
Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff
First appearance "Undertow" (episode 2.05) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Method Man Information Gender Occupation Children Male Crew Chief Randy Wagstaff

Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff (named "Melvin Flagstaff" during Season 2) is a fictional character on the HBO television series The Wire. He is portrayed by hip hop recording artist Method Man. He is a crew chief for his uncle Proposition Joe's drug organization and later works for the Stanfield Organization after betraying his uncle and handing him over to Marlo Stanfield. He is eventually killed by Slim Charles in the series finale. He is also the father of Randy Wagstaff according to creator David Simon, though this is never explored or even stated on the show.[1][2]

Character biography
Cheese is the nephew of Proposition Joe and a crew chief in his Eastside drug crew. He supplied Ziggy Sobotka with a narcotics package and, when Sobotka could not pay him back, set fire to his car and threatened to kill him. Nick Sobotka and La La intervened on Ziggy's behalf but could only convince Cheese to give Ziggy more time. Cheese was forced to back down when Nick involved The Greek Proposition Joe's supplier of high-quality heroin. Cheese subsequently moved into Barksdale territory following an agreement with Stringer Bell, much to the chagrin of Bodie Broadus. Avon Barksdale was unaware of the agreement due to being incarcerated, and hired Brother Mouzone, who shot Cheese with rat shot to intimidate him and his colleagues. In Season three, Cheese was one of the major case unit's first targets as a possible route to Proposition Joe himself. Cheese avoided their surveillance efforts through disciplined use of his subordinates to make phone calls and by only discussing business face to face, and was promoted to supplying other dealers. Cheese kept a Pitbull terrier and participated in underground dog fights. When his dog lost a fight, Cheese shot it rather than seek treatment for its injuries. Cheese's soldier Tree suggested that Dazz, his opponent, might have cheated with another dealer, Jelly. Tree later killed Jelly, leading to two further deaths and a short war between the rival crews. The major case unit arrested Tree in the course of preparing for yet another skirmish. The unit mistakenly presumed Cheese was using slang to discuss a murder when they overheard him on a tapped phone describing how he shot his dog. After arresting Cheese, the unit interrogators revealed their wiretap evidence to him in an effort to force his confession. Once the unit realized Cheese had been talking literally about killing an animal, he was released and promptly told Proposition Joe about the wiretap, after which his gang changed their communication strategies to thwart further investigation.[2] In season four, Cheese remained a trusted member of Proposition Joe's inner circle. He acted as the go-between, supplying Joe's drugs to the various other Baltimore dealers in the Co-op, including Marlo Stanfield, and also picked up the drug deliveries from agents of The Greek. Omar Little tracked Cheese from Proposition Joe's office to one of these delivery sites during a major drop and stole the entire Baltimore heroin supply. When Omar sold the drugs back to Joe, Cheese seemed more angry than Joe himself.

Cheese Wagstaff In season five, Cheese assists Marlo Stanfield in his efforts to control the entire Baltimore drug trade. Cheese acts as an informant to Marlo. In exchange for a $50,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Omar Little, Cheese identifies Butchie as someone who knows where Omar is hiding. When Butchie is tortured and murdered by Chris and Snoop, Joe immediately suspects Cheese is Marlo's informant. Fearing Omar might believe he is responsible, Prop Joe prepares to go into hiding. Cheese informs Marlo of Proposition Joe's whereabouts after Joe is no longer of use to Marlo. Marlo rewards Cheese with a top-spot in his organization after effectively dissolving the New Day Co-Op. In the series finale, Cheese and the rest of the co-op meet to discuss how the group should move forward after Marlo is forced out of the drug trade. Waving a pistol in another dealer's face, Cheese makes a speech about how Joe and Marlo have had "their time," but before he can declare it is his turn, Slim Charles shoots him in the head unceremoniously and without warning. When another dealer asks Charles why he killed Cheese, Charles replies, "That was for Joe."

241

References
[1] " 'The Wire': David Simon schools USC (http:/ / latimesblogs. latimes. com/ showtracker/ 2008/ 03/ the-wire-david. html)." The Los Angeles Times [2] "Character profile - Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ the-wire/ cast-and-crew#/ the-wire/ cast-and-crew/ calvin-cheese-wagstaff/ index. html). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-13.

Wallace

242

Wallace
Wallace
First appearance "The Target" (episode 1.01) Last appearance "Sentencing" (episode 1.13) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Michael B. Jordan Information Gender Occupation Male Drug dealer for Barksdale Organization

Wallace is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Michael B. Jordan. Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer for the Barksdale Organization, who works in the low-rise projects crew known as "The Pit" with his friends and fellow dealers Bodie Broadus and Poot Carr. When information he provides leads to the brutal death of Brandon Wright, the boyfriend of stick-up artist Omar Little, Wallace feels guilty and tries to leave the drug trade. He informs on the Barksdale Organization to the police, and as a result is killed by Bodie and Poot under orders by drug kingpin Stringer Bell.

Biography
Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer in the Barksdale crew's low rise projects organization (called "The Pit"). He serves with Poot Carr and Bodie Broadus under D'Angelo Barksdale through the entirety of season one. He shows the signs of a half-finished education he can identify famous people on currency better than the rest of his crew (including D'Angelo, who objects when Wallace correctly points out that Alexander Hamilton was never president), but sometimes struggles with the math involved with drug dealing. He also takes responsibility for numerous younger drug dealers in the projects, housing them in a squatter's apartment, packing their lunches, seeing them off to school and helping them with their homework. He betrays his age when he is found playing with toys while supposed to be on lookout duty. After Omar Little robs the pit crew's stash of drugs, Wallace spots his accomplice Brandon playing pinball and calls this information in. Stringer Bell grabs Brandon and tortures him to death. His body is left on display, coincidentally outside of Wallace's home. Wallace receives a quarter of the $2000 bounty on Brandon's head, but is so sickened by the event that he decides he wants out of "the game". He approaches D'Angelo and tells him he wants to go back to school. D'Angelo gives him his blessing and some cash. Poot discovers that Wallace has spent the money on drugs and is spending most of his time at home getting high. Wallace is picked up by the police and agrees to cooperate with the Barksdale detail, revealing Stringer's involvement in the killing of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. In order to keep him safe until the trial, Wallace is sent to live with his grandmother in rural Cambridge. After detective Kima Greggs is shot in an undercover operation, the detail becomes so preoccupied with her condition that Wallace is temporarily forgotten. Bored with life away from Baltimore, he returns to the low-rise projects and asks to get involved in the trade again. Stringer Bell becomes suspicious of Wallace's return. D'Angelo tries to reassure Stringer of Wallace's loyalty, but Stringer is not convinced and assigns Bodie to kill Wallace. Bodie and Poot get him cornered, and Wallace begs for mercy because of their friendship. Bodie first taunts, then hesitates, unable to bring himself to pull the trigger. Poot urges him on and Bodie finally shoots Wallace, only to leave him severely wounded and dying a slow death. Poot takes the gun and finishes him off.

Wallace D'Angelo is outraged when he learns of Wallace's death. It is one of the main factors that leads D'Angelo to want to leave "the game" himself, and it drives a permanent wedge between him and Stringer. In season three McNulty finds the crime scene photo from Wallace's murder and he and Roland Pryzbylewski share a look.

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Behind the scenes

"He wants to be one of the baddest drug dealers but didnt know it would come with a price. He wants to have all the pleasure and all the money but didnt know that the residue of the drug dealing would come with it." Michael B. Jordan on Wallace
[1]

Michael B. Jordan auditioned before The Wire casting director Alexa Fogel in New York City for the role of Bodie. He was called back twice and the auditions went well, but he was turned down for the part because Fogel thought he was too young. The part went to Jordan's friend J. D. Williams,[1] who grew up in the same hometown with Jordan in Newark, New Jersey. Jordan was asked instead to audition for the younger character Wallace, and was cast in the part.[2] Jordan did little preparation for the part, but used his experiences growing up on the streets of Newark, New Jersey, as a way to prepare for the role.[2] Jordan said, "I live in an area where there are lots of drug dealers and I know some people who may or may not sell drugs, so this is not new to me."[1] The actor found out his character was going to be killed one week before it was filmed.[2] Series creator David Simon has described Wallace as an emotional center to the show's first season and praised Jordan's performance, saying that he was sorry the character had to leave but that the story comes first. Simon sees the character as an illustration of the adage "a 14-year-old drug dealer is still 14."[3] Amos Barshad of New York magazine called Wallace's death "one of an overwhelmingly bleak shows bleakest moments".[4] MSNBC reporter Michael Ventre described it as "perhaps the most memorable (scene), and one that illustrates The Wire in microcosm."[5] The character remained memorable years after his departure from the show. During a January 2008 premiere party for the fifth season of The Wire, Simon read the names of every notable cast member in the show, and media outlets reported the loudest cheers came for Jordan and the recognition for his portrayal as Wallace.[4]

References
[1] Morales, Wilson (2002-09-13). "On His Own: An Interview with Michael B. Jordan" (http:/ / www. blackfilm. com/ 20020913/ features/ michaelbjordan. shtml). BlackFilm.com. . Retrieved 2009-05-04. [2] Zarrabi, Nima (2008-10-02). "An Interview with Michael B. Jordan: Catching up with Wallace from The Wire" (http:/ / slamonline. com/ online/ nba/ 2008/ 10/ michael-b-jordan/ ). SLAM Magazine. . Retrieved 2009-05-04. [3] David Simon (2005). The Wire "The Target" commentary track (DVD). HBO. [4] Barshad, Amos (2009-01-07). ""The Wire" Premiere: Wallace Lives, and Rawls Cuts a Rug" (http:/ / nymag. com/ daily/ entertainment/ 2008/ 01/ the_wire_premiere_wallace_live. html). New York. . Retrieved 2009-05-04. [5] Ventre, Michael (2004-11-13). "On "The Wire," sometimes the bad guys win" (http:/ / www. msnbc. msn. com/ id/ 5735295/ ). MSNBC. . Retrieved 2009-05-04.

244

Docks
Characters from the docks of The Wire
The fictional HBO drama series The Wire focused largely on the Baltimore docks in its second season, introducing many new characters to the cast. Characters from the docks of The Wire include the working Stevedores and their families as well as the criminal organization that controls smuggling through the Baltimore docks.

Sobotka family
The Sobotka family is a Polish American Baltimore family. The head of the family is Frank, a treasurer for the local union. The Sobotkas are hated by Southeastern District commander Stanislaus Valchek who has a long-standing feud with Frank.

Frank Sobotka
Frank Sobotka was a respected longshoremen's local union leader who became involved with an organized crime smuggling operation in order to finance a political campaign to sustain the docks.

Joan Sobotka
Played by: Elisabeth Noone Appears in season 2: "Ebb Tide" and "Hard Cases". Joan is Louis' wife and the two live with their grown son, Nick. Joan bemoans her family's drinking habits and tries to encourage Nick to get as much work as possible at the port. She refuses to make breakfast for him if he is not up in time for work. Nick often has his girlfriend Aimee to stay but hides her visits from his parents. Joan is aghast when the police serve warrants and search her home looking for Nick and find drugs and cash.

Louis Sobotka
Played by: Robert J. Hogan Appears in season 2: "Hard Cases"; "Duck and Cover"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Louis is Frank Sobotka's elder brother and Nick's father. Louis was forced to retire early from his trade as a shipwright. He spends his days hypothetically gambling on horses (he never places any money on his bets) and drinking at Delores' bar. He refuses to get involved in the family's smuggling operation. When a warrant is put on Nick for his drug involvement Louis convinces him to turn himself in.

Characters from the docks of The Wire

245

Nick Sobotka
Louis and Joan's son and Frank's nephew, Nick is a well-liked young Stevedore with extensive family connections to the Baltimore port and links to the criminal underworld.

Ziggy Sobotka
Ziggy is Frank's son, an impulsive and often reckless young checker, based on a real life docker in the Baltimore area, at the docks with a desire to prove himself and a respected father to live up to.

Dock workers
The dock workers are all members of the Baltimore Union of the International Brotherhood of Stevedores. They are also hated by Southeastern District commander Stan Valchek who views them as nothing more than dishonorable thieves stealing anything that comes into the port.

Nat Coxson
Played by: Luray Cooper Appears in Season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; and "Port in a Storm". Season 5: "The Dickensian Aspect" Nat is a bald-headed African-American stevedore who is a union president and is dubious of Frank Sobotka's political maneuvering. Nat is a firm believer that the unions should focus on repairing the disused grain pier before it is bought by property developers. He opposes Frank's efforts to have the canal dredged as he believes that this is a goal beyond their reach. Nat is concerned about Frank's surge in income and spending on campaign contributions and hiring a lobbyist. He questions Frank about the source of the funds and when Frank refuses to answer Nat cautions him about the risks of showing so much money. Nat is an advocate for Ott in the forthcoming union election. He expects Frank to stand down to let Ott take his place as the unions have an arrangement that Polish and African American leaders will alternate. Frank asks Nat to allow him to continue for a second term to try to achieve his political goals and Nat is dubious. When Frank is murdered, Nat is horrified along with the other Stevedores. Nat's worst fears are ultimately realized when the grain pier is converted into condominiums.

Vernon "Ott" Motley

Played by: Bus Howard Appears in season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds" and "Port in a Storm". Moustached older African-American stevedore often seen drinking in Delores' bar. Ott was arrested on a DWI charge as part of Major Valchek's vendetta against the union. He was released on bail later the same day. Frank's response was to have Horseface steal a surveillance van from Valchek's district parking lot; Ott helped to load the van into a container to be shipped around the country. Ott was set to take over from Frank as treasurer when the next election came around, per the Stevedores' arrangement that the position swap between a Polish and African-American after each term. Ott was supported by his friend Nat Coxson, president of another local union. Ott realized that Frank planned to run again and was angry that he was not honoring the agreement. When Frank was murdered, Ott withdrew his candidacy as a show of unity against the federal government's attempt to break up the union.

Characters from the docks of The Wire

246

Little Big Roy

Played by: Richard Pelzman Appears in: Season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Backwash" (uncredited); "Duck and Cover"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Season 5: "The Dickensian Aspect" Little Big Roy is a large, balding, Polish crew chief from Nat Coxson's IBS longshoremen's union. He is often seen drinking in Delores' bar with other union members. Frank Sobotka borrowed Little Big Roy's union card in order to work a ship to clear his head after he was arrested. When Frank's body was pulled out of the docks Little Big Roy was there to watch with the other devastated Stevedores. As well as that, he is well known for being very protective of his Union Card and is extremely cautious about who he gives it to.

Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa

Played by: Charley Scalies Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Checker from Frank Sobotka's union who assists him in moving contraband through the port. Horse was responsible for stealing Valchek's surveillance van in the union's feud with the police major. Horse was arrested and put on trial along with Eton Ben-Eleazer following the details investigation of smuggling through the Baltimore docks. The outcome of his trial is not shown, though Nick Sobotka testified that Horseface knew nothing of the smuggling.[1]

Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto

Played by: Jeffrey Pratt Gordon Appears in Season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "All Prologue"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds"; "Storm Warnings"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm". Season 5: "Transitions". Johnny "Fifty" is a young checker from Frank Sobotka's union. Spamanto is Caucasian and wears a long beard. He received his nickname for drinking fifty-three beers on his 25th birthday and is often seen drinking in Delores' bar. Spamanto assists Nick and Ziggy in stealing from the docks for The Greek. He refuses to get involved in the drug trade with Nick and Ziggy. Spamanto was indicted by a grand jury as part of the investigation in to smuggling at the docks but gave very little information and escaped uncharged. Johnny Fifty briefly resurfaces in Season 5 as a homeless man, demonstrating how far the union has fallen: in previous years, Spamanto regularly found work in the tower, but is now evidently getting very few hours and as a result is hurting financially.

Characters from the docks of The Wire

247

Big Roy
Played by: Doug Lory Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Bad Dreams" and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Big Roy is a ponytailed white stevedore who is much smaller than his colleague Little Big Roy. Big Roy was part of the crowd of Stevedores that witnessed their murdered union leader Frank Sobotka being pulled from the docks.

Chess
Played by: J. Valenteen Gregg Appears in season two: "Ebb Tide"; "Duck and Cover"; "All Prologue" (uncredited) and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Chess is a large, senior, African-American stevedore who is often seen drinking at Delores' bar. He questions Frank Sobotka about the source of his political capital at a union meeting.

La La
Played by: Kelvin Davis Appears in season 2: "Ebb Tide" (uncredited); "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover"; "Stray Rounds" and "Port in a Storm". Bald African-American stevedore from Frank Sobotka's union. La La has little seniority amongst union men and therefore struggles to find work. When Frank got into a feud with Southeastern police district commander Major Valchek, La La was arrested on a DWI stop when leaving Delores' bar along with several other union members. He is a friend of Nick Sobotka and accompanied him to try to talk a drug dealer called "Cheese" into giving back his friend and Nick's cousin Ziggy's car.

Maui
Played by: Lance Irwin Appears in season 2: "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "Backwash"; "Duck and Cover" and "Port in a Storm". Maui is a checker from Frank Sobotka's union who had a relationship with Officer Beadie Russell. Beadie reconnected with Maui to get information about smuggling from the docks; he refused to inform on his fellow union men but told her to check the port's computer system for information. Maui dislikes Ziggy Sobotka, playing various tricks on him, culminating with Maui humiliating Ziggy by forcing him on top of a container and stranding him there.

The Greeks
The Greeks are an international smuggling and organized crime organization, through a rundown cafe, with several Eastern European members in Baltimore.

Others
Aimee
Played by: Kristin Proctor Appears in season 2: "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases"; "Undertow"; "Backwash"; "Storm Warnings" and "Port in a Storm". Aimee is Nick Sobotka's girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, Ashley. Aimee could not stay overnight at Nick's home because he still lived with his parents. Aimee hopes to get a place for her young family to share and

Characters from the docks of The Wire encourages Nick to go house hunting with her despite his lack of income from his dock work. She is shocked when she discovers a bundle of cash in his basement room, but he explains it by telling her that it comes from a new warehouse manager position. Aimee was at Nick's home when the police raided it and found a stash of heroin. She accepted his misdeeds and went into protective custody with him; the two finally sharing a home for a night.

248

Delores
Played by: Jill Redding Appears in season 2: "Ebb Tide"; "Collateral Damage"; "Hot Shots"; "Hard Cases" and "Undertow." Delores is the owner of the bar frequented by the Stevedores. She has a great respect for union leader Frank Sobotka and holds cash to be handed to workers in his union who are struggling for money on his behalf. She has an uneasy friendship with Ziggy Sobotka because he is constantly exposing his genitalia in her bar.

Bruce DiBiago
Played by: Keith Flippen Appears in season 2: "Hot Shots"; "Backwash" and "Bad Dreams". DiBiago is Frank Sobotka's lobbyist with heavy political contacts. His great-grandfather was a knife sharpener in Baltimore. His eldest son, Jason, attends Princeton University.

References
[1] "Character profile - Horseface" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ horseface. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-16.

Frank Sobotka

249

Frank Sobotka
Frank Sobotka
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "Port in a Storm" (episode 2.12) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Chris Bauer Information Occupation Title Family Spouse(s) Children Union Leader, Smuggler IBS Secretary/Treasurer Louis Sobotka (brother), Nick Sobotka (nephew) Unseen wife Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka

Francis "Frank" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Chris Bauer.

Biography
Frank is a respected Polish-American secretary treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores at the Baltimore docks (Local 47). As the pater familias for the docks' longshoremen population, it is his job to manage the finances of the union and make sure that the workers are taken care of - a task made harder by the decline of Baltimore's shipping industry and the lack of available hours. Desperate to return prosperity to the docks, Frank begins making overtures to lobbyists and politicians to support initiatives that will make the port a more attractive shipping location. His two main objectives are to have the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal dredged to increase the depth for incoming ships, and to re-open the grain pier. Bruce DiBiago, an old friend and lobbyist, serves as go-between for Sobotka and politicians such as Senator Clay Davis. In order to obtain the necessary funds for paying the bribes, Sobotka makes an arrangement with Eastern European gangsters "The Greek" and Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos to smuggle illegal goods through the port. Ships with contraband such as drugs and prostitutes will be tagged by Frank's union cohort Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, with the crates disappearing in the computer system and driven out by the Greek's man Sergei "Serge" Malatov. Frank's nephew Nick Sobotka, another union member, acts as go-between for his uncle and Vondas by passing messages and delivering lists of containers to be moved. Unbeknownst to Frank, his troubled son, Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka, often accompanies Nick to these meetings. Frank's criminal activities begin to be suspected by the police following a feud with Major Stanislaus Valchek, whose gift of a stained glass window to a local church has been eclipsed by Sobotka's more elaborate window (a move to have the priest get Frank closer to a senator in his congregation). Suspicious of how a longshoreman could have so much disposable income, Valchek manages to persuade Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell to assemble a detail to investigate Sobotka's activities. The investigation gains further traction with the discovery of 13 dead girls in a shipping container ("can"), who turn out to be prostitutes smuggled in by the Greek. Frank is enraged that human smuggling is taking place in his port, and threatens Vondas, demanding that no other live containers come through. With detectives asking questions about the dead girls, some strange goings-on with his cell-phone, and his own suspicions about his friend Officer Russell's involvement in the case, Frank becomes increasingly nervous. He demands to meet The Greek and tells him he wants out. The Greek, who needs Frank's system, objects. Nick then asks for more money for them to take on the extra risk. The Greek and Frank agree to this

Frank Sobotka arrangement - Frank needs the money but Frank is ever more uneasy, and his world proceeds to unravel. Towards the end of the season, Frank is arrested on smuggling charges after the detail is pressured into making arrests (around the same time, his son Ziggy is also arrested for the murder of a local fence). Valchek personally escorts a compliant Frank out of the union hall in handcuffs, and the resulting media attention leads lawmakers to cut their ties. With his efforts to save the port sunk, and his family facing legal charges (Ziggy for murder, Nick for selling drugs), Sobotka decides to accept the advice of Beadie Russell and turn informant on The Greek. However, before passing information to the police, The Greek arranges for a meeting to be held, in which Frank will be offered a deal envisaged by Spiros. The deal would exchange Frank's loyalty and silence about the criminal activity at the port for Spiros's assurance that the State's witness in his son's murder prosecution would testify that the shooting occurred in self defense. However, this attempt to secure Frank's loyalty to The Greek's organization is scuppered at the last moment, when the Greek is tipped off by his inside man in the FBI that Sobotka has scheduled a proffer session with police, in which he will inform on the Greek. The last the audience sees of Frank alive is during the closing moments of the penultimate episode of the second season - as the screen fades out we see him walking resolutely beneath a bridge to the rendezvous with The Greek, in a final effort to save his son.[1][2] The following day Frank's body is found in the harbor, with multiple stab wounds and his throat cut. Detectives remark that numerous defensive wounds indicate he died fighting. It is implied that Spiros slit Frank's throat, echoing a murder earlier in the season. After his death, his fellow longshoremen, in tribute to Frank, re-elect him as treasurer in defiance of federal warnings, which leads to the dissolution of his local union office. The Wire has been described as an examination of how the failure, amorality, and corruption within institutions eventually destroy the essentially decent individuals involved with them;[3] within the series Frank Sobotka has come to be the classic epitome of such an individual.

250

References
[1] "Episode guide - episode 24 bad dreams" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season2/ episode11. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-06-22. [2] David Simon, George P. Pelecanos (2003-08-17). "Bad Dreams". The Wire. episode 11. season 2. HBO. [3] The High Hat: Clockers Done Right (http:/ / www. thehighhat. com/ Static/ 002/ the_wire. html)

Nick Sobotka

251

Nick Sobotka
Nick Sobotka
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "The Dickensian Aspect" (episode 5.06) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Pablo Schreiber Information Gender Occupation Family Spouse(s) Children Relatives Male Dock worker, Drug Dealer, Smuggler Louis Sobotka (father), Joan Sobotka (mother) Aimee Ashley Frank Sobotka (uncle), Ziggy Sobotka (cousin)

Nickolas Andrew "Nick" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Pablo Schreiber. Nick is cousin to Ziggy Sobotka, the wayward and rebellious son to his uncle Frank Sobotka.

Plot details
Season 2
Nick is a dockworker, and works for his uncle Frank Sobotka, the secretary treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores. He often has to keep his cousin, Frank's son Ziggy out of trouble, to whom he shows considerable patience. Nick is much more cautious and level-headed than Ziggy, a fact his uncle appreciates. He is involved in his uncle's smuggling operation and often serves as Frank's go-between in meetings with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. He would meet with Vondas at the diner which serves as the Greek's "office." Vondas would give him the serial numbers of the cargo containers The Greek was bringing into the port, and Nick would convey this information to his uncle. Nick has a girlfriend, Aimee, with whom he has a daughter, Ashley. They want to move in together, but they are unable to afford a place of their own; Nick lives with his parents and when she spends the night with him, she has to hide from them. Though Nick very much wants to settle down with her, his lack of steady income lead to tensions between them. Since Nick is one of the younger stevedores, seniority prevents him from getting enough work at the docks. Desperate for cash, he and Ziggy stole a trailer full of cameras, which they sold to the Greek's front man, Glekas. This brought Nick to the attention of Vondas, who asked him if he could procure large quantities of certain chemicals. Ziggy was immediately interested, but Nick was more conscientious, fearing that the chemicals would be used to make bombs. After some research on the internet, he discovered that they would be used to process drugs and he agreed to the deal. Ziggy is into drug dealing and invites Nick to join in, but at first Nick angrily refuses. Later, when Ziggy's ineptitude nearly cost him his life at the hands of Proposition Joe's nephew Cheese, Nick asked Vondas to intervene. Vondas sent Sergei "Serge" Malatov, who forced Cheese to back off at gunpoint. Sergei then helped Nick negotiate a settlement with Prop Joe himself.

Nick Sobotka When the two cousins brought Vondas the chemicals he had requested, Nick asked for payment half in cash, half in heroin. Since Ziggy had proved incompetent, he began selling the drugs to local dealers, with much more success than his cousin. He was spotted meeting with the dealer Frog by Herc and Carver, who were doing surveillance of drug dealers near the port. When the drugs he'd received for the chemicals ran out, Vondas put him in contact with "White" Mike McArdle, who became his new supplier of heroin. Despite Nicky's disdain for Ziggy's ineptitude and antics, he seems to genuinely care for his younger cousin, to whom he treats like a little brother. Nick is distraught when Ziggy is arrested for killing Glekas. Knowing that Ziggy's stature and temperament make him ill-suited for prison, Nick descends into a drunken depression and tearfully laments the circumstances that landed Ziggy behind bars. Eventually a warrant was issued for Nick's arrest. The police raided his parents' house shortly after Ziggy's arrest. Though Nick was not home, his parents were aghast when the police found Nick's stash of drugs and cash in the basement. Later that day Vondas approached Nick with an offer to help Ziggy, in exchange for his and Frank's silence. The young Sobotka eagerly conveyed the offer to his uncle. Frank told Nick he would go see the Greek alone. Just before the meeting, the Greek learned from his FBI mole that Frank had offered to testify against him, so he had the elder Sobotka killed. A grieving Nick turned himself in to the police, agreeing to become a witness against the Greek and his gang. As his uncle had, he refused to incriminate members of his union. When Daniels's detail interrogated him he identified the Greek in a photograph, giving the detail its first picture of its main target. At the end of season two, Nick, Aimee and Ashley entered federal witness protection. The last scene of the second season focuses on him looking at the decaying shipping shoreline from behind a chain-link fence. After shedding a few tears, he walks away on a sidewalk leading uphill. The scene symbolized the season's main theme, the death of blue-collar work in American industry.[1]

252

Season 5
Nick makes a brief appearance in season five, heckling Mayor Carcetti's ribbon-cutting ceremony for the conversion of the old Granary into condos and waterfront commercial space instead of the docks for which his uncle Frank had hoped. This, together with the appearance of another former dockworker in a homeless encampment earlier in the season, suggests that the Port of Baltimore was continuing job cuts between the end of season two and the beginning of season five. No information about Nick's life since the end of season two was provided, although Simon has since said that Nick left the witness protection program after missing his friends and family, as many who are enrolled in the witness protection program do.[2]

References
[1] "Character profile - Nick Sobotka" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ nick_sobotka. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-16. [2] "The Wire, "The Dickensian Aspect" - Those left behind" (http:/ / sepinwall. blogspot. com/ 2008/ 02/ wire-dickensian-aspect-those-left. html). What's Alan Watching?. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12.

Ziggy Sobotka

253

Ziggy Sobotka
Ziggy Sobotka
First appearance "Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "Port in a Storm" (episode 2.12) Created by Portrayed by David Simon James Ransone Information Aliases Gender Occupation Family Relatives Ziggy Male Dock worker/Prisoner Frank Sobotka (father) Nick Sobotka (cousin)

Chester Karol "Ziggy" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor James Ransone. Though his father Frank Sobotka was a well-respected stevedore union leader, Ziggy's often reckless and juvenile behavior gained him little respect among other members of the union and The Greek's crime organization.

Biography
Ziggy is Frank Sobotka's son and Nick's cousin. Ziggy was a dock worker in his father's stevedores union, but he was also involved in criminal activity. Like most of the port workers, Ziggy frequented Delores' bar, where he amuses the other customers with his drunken antics. He was known for publicly exposing himself. His work on the docks was often poor and his father would regularly fire him and then reinstate him. Due to his lack of seniority, Ziggy received little work. He is often portrayed as a clumsy and inept beneficiary of his father's hard work and stewardship of the union who is more interested in goofing off than working hard. He is close to his older cousin Nick, who often bails him out when his various money-making schemes backfire. Despite his shortcomings, however, he has a better understanding of technology than many of his colleagues. He uses his computer research skills to assist Nick in his dealings with the Greeks. Ziggy had been dealing drugs supplied by "White" Mike McArdle for some time. He sold them at street level using an East side dealer known as Frog. Ziggy had trouble intimidating Frog and often came up short with the money from his packages. Frog would keep the money and tell Ziggy he had been robbed. Eventually, White Mike refused to supply Ziggy with further drugs because he knew that he was not a sound investment. Ziggy often tried to convince his more streetwise cousin Nick Sobotka into joining him in his drug dealing enterprise but Nick refused. When Ziggy suggested that they steal a container of digital cameras from the docks, Nick was more accepting. They worked alongside their friend Johnny "Fifty" Spamanto, a checker, to move the container through the port. Ziggy and Nick visited George "Double G" Glekas, a front man for an international smuggling operation that the Sobotka family had been working with, to offer him the container. Ziggy's research about the street value of the cameras allowed Nick to negotiate a better deal with Glekas. Ziggy upset Glekas by taking his photo with one of the cameras during the meeting and Glekas angrily snatched it from Ziggy and smashed it on the floor. Ziggy also accompanied Nick to a meeting to discuss Frank's smuggling of containers through the docks. Ziggy's chatter embarrassed Nick and he vowed not to take him again. The Greeks asked Nick to obtain shipments of chemicals through his work at the port. Unsure what the chemicals would be used for, fearing they may be used for terrorism, Nick was reluctant to get involved. Ziggy used his share of the money from the stolen cameras to buy a

Ziggy Sobotka new leather coat and Nick chastised him for flashing his newfound wealth. Nick also chastised him for talking to everyone about being paid and flashing his money around the bar. Ziggy turned to a drug dealer named Cheese for a fresh supply. Cheese was a lieutenant in "Proposition" Joe Stewart's network of drug dealers, who we find out in later seasons is Prop Joe's nephew. Ziggy continued to use Frog and again came up short on his profits (Frog deliberately shorts him) and found himself unable to pay Cheese back. Cheese was more brutal than White Mike and delivered a swift beating to Ziggy and stole his prized car (a Camaro which Ziggy called "Princess"). Cheese threatened to kill Ziggy if he was not able to pay by the end of the week. Nick and La La, a friend from the union, visited Cheese on Ziggy's behalf hoping to bargain the value of the car that Cheese had taken against Ziggy's debt. They found that Cheese had burned the car and was now asking for more money but willing to give Ziggy a little more time. Ziggy was distraught when he heard this news. Nick went to the Greeks to ask for help with the problem. He found that they were the suppliers of Proposition Joe's entire operation and were able to negotiate with him directly. Nick attended a sit-down with Joe on Ziggy's behalf. Because of their association with the Greeks, Joe agreed to give Ziggy compensation for the car minus the original debt he owed. Ziggy helped Nick to research the chemical the Greeks were looking for and found that they were used in the processing of cocaine. Reassured with this knowledge, Nick decided to go ahead and steal them as asked. After Nick and Ziggy delivered the chemicals they were offered payment in either narcotics or cash. Knowing the street value of the narcotics was greater, Ziggy pushed for drugs. Nick opted to receive half in cash and half in heroin. Nick kept Ziggy out of dealing with the drugs due to his previous ineptitude. Nick took them to Frog himself. He faithfully delivered a share of the profits to Ziggy each week. Ziggy's pride was hurt by Nick sidelining him and his inability to match his cousin's success. Ziggy dramatically refused his share of the money, tossing it onto the street from Nick's newly purchased truck (bought with his share of the drug profits). Ziggy had a long running feud with a dock worker named Maui. Maui took issue with Ziggy stealing from the docks and confronted him; intentionally spilling coffee on the coat that Ziggy had purchased with the money from the stolen cameras. Ziggy responded by replacing Maui's desktop image with pictures of his genitalia. In retaliation Maui faked a paternity lawsuit against Ziggy, which drove him to a drinking binge. Nick realized that the letter Ziggy had received from a law firm was false and identified Maui as the culprit. Urged on by La La and other stevedores, Ziggy attacked Maui while working at the docks. He was easily overcome by his much larger opponent, and as a result of the fight, Ziggy was forced to endure another indignity; Maui used a fork lift truck to strand Ziggy on top of a stack of containers. Ziggy purchased a pet duck and bought it a diamond necklace (again showing that he is making money). He took it to Delores' bar pretending it was a seeing eye fowl. He was compelled to provide the duck with saucers of liquor, claiming that it "Could drink like a stevedore." The duck died at the bar, driving Ziggy into another depressive episode. When Nick approached Ziggy outside the bar, Ziggy attacked his cousin. Ziggy began smuggling cars with Johnny Fifty. He offered to supply them to Glekas, who reluctantly agreed to participate. Ziggy faked the theft of their cars to look like an outside job by cutting a hole in the port fence, and making a track across a grassy area. Rather than using these constructions, he drove the cars into containers to be delivered to Glekas's customers overseas. When Ziggy delivered the cars, Glekas refused to pay him the agreed sum and Ziggy flew into a rage. Glekas beat Ziggy and threw him out of his warehouse. This was the last indignity Ziggy could endure; he took a gun from his car and shot Glekas and a boy working at Glekas's electronics store, killing Glekas and badly wounding the boy. Horrified at his own actions, Ziggy was unable to drive away and broke down in tears. He was picked up by Sergeant Landsman of the homicide unit and gave a full confession to the murder. Frank visited Ziggy in prison and apologized for not doing more to help his son. Ziggy told Frank that the union had always come before him, harkening back towards the memories they had shared previously on the docks. Ziggy was convicted of the murder and was last seen serving out his sentence.[1]

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Ziggy Sobotka

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Origins
The actor who portrays Ziggy, James Ransone, is a Baltimore native and has described the character as representative of the difficulties people face just trying to get by in Baltimore. The character's creators have deemed him "the angry prince of goofs."[2] In an online interview David Simon stated that Ziggy is loosely based on a real stevedore named Pinkie Bannion whose antics have become a local legend around the docks. According to Simon, Bannion "used to take his duck to the bar and repeatedly expose 'pretty boy' and all else. As they said in Bawlmer about Pinkie: 'That boy ain't right.'"[3]

References
[1] "Character profile - Ziggy" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ ziggy_sobotka. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-14. [2] Alvarez, Rafael (2004). The Wire: Truth Be Told. New York: Pocket Books. pp.160164. [3] "David Simon Answers Fans' Questions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ david_simon. shtml). HBO.com. . Retrieved 2009-08-30.

Sergei Malatov

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Sergei Malatov
Sergei Malatov
First appearance '"Ebb Tide" (episode 2.01) Last appearance "Unconfirmed Reports" (episode 5.02) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Chris Ashworth Information Nickname(s) Gender Occupation Nationality Serge, Boris Male Smuggler, enforcer in The Greeks' organization Ukrainian

Sergei "Serge" Malatov (Ukrainian: ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama series The Wire, played by Chris Ashworth. He acts as a driver and muscle for The Greek. He is Ukrainian, although Americans often assume he is Russian. He hates this and their subsequent tendency to nickname him "Boris". He is responsible for picking up containers of smuggled goods from the port and taking them to The Greek's front warehouse to be fenced.

Biography
Malatov is a trusted lieutenant in The Greek's import business. When vodka, appliances, electronics, drugs or Eastern Bloc women destined to be sex workers arrive in Baltimore, Sergei ensures the cargo is delivered to The Greek's associates in the city. He mentions that he has spent four years in prison in the Ukraine, and that American prisons are nowhere near as harsh.

Season Two
Sergei is supposed to collect thirteen prostitutes hidden in a cargo container from the docks, but when he does not receive the all-clear signal from The Greek's accomplice on the ship which delivered the women, he abandons the container on the waterfront. The Greek later learns that the girls were killed, and Sergei is sent to the Philadelphia port (the ship's next destination) to find the crewman. He infiltrates the port and captures the crewman. When The Greek and Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos arrive, the crewman tells them everything about how the girls were killed, and Spiros murders him. Sergei is charged with disposing of the body and The Greek instructs him to make sure there is no face or fingerprints. The body is later found and identified by a tattoo. Sergei is friendly with drug kingpin Proposition Joe, who is supplied by The Greek. He intervenes on behalf of Nick Sobotka because The Greek needs Nick and his uncle Frank's help to smuggle containers off of cargo ships when Ziggy Sobotka gets into debt with Proposition Joe's nephew, Cheese. He is ruthless in his work, and thorough in clean-up. When a drug dealer asks whether a recently found body was his handiwork, he retorts "Did he have hands? Did he have a face? Yes? Then it wasn't us. Idiot!" As most of the US population is not in police/federal DNA records (minus convicted felons, military, etc), a body that has neither fingerprints, a recognizable appearance, or intact teeth is generally impossible to identify. When security camera footage of him abducting the crewman is discovered by a police detail investigating the deaths of the girls and smuggling on the docks, Sergei is persuaded to become an informer and turn on The Greek and Spiros, but The Greek has already escaped.[1]

Sergei Malatov

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Season Five
Several years later, as rising kingpin Marlo Stanfield gets a line on Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos and the Greeks, he has Chris Partlow investigate the port investigation, as well as Sergei's criminal record at the courthouse. Upon learning that Sergei is locked up in Jessup, Marlo arranges a meeting with him. Initially, Marlo's access to Sergei is blocked by Avon Barksdale, who is effectively running the criminal activities within the prison, but after Marlo makes a payment to Avon's sister, Avon grants Marlo access to Sergei. Sergei, despite receiving a great deal of money from Marlo, is disrespectful and states that he does not need Marlo's help or money. However, Marlo points out that Sergei can win back some favor with the Greeks if he gets a message to Vondas regarding Marlo's intentions to do business with them. Avon encourages Sergei to cooperate with Marlo, and Sergei, realizing that Marlo is right that he can claim some credit if the deal happens, agrees to get in touch with Vondas.

References
[1] "Character profile - Sergei "Serge" Malatov" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ port/ serge_malatov. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2007-03-29.

258

Politicians
Politicians of The Wire
The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on The Wire.

Maryland State Politicians

Clay Davis
Clay Davis is a corrupt State Senator who is an important Democratic fundraiser. Baltimore mayors therefore try to stay on his good side.

Damien Lavelle Price

Played by: Donnell Rawlings Appears in: Season one: "One Arrest" and "Lessons". Season five: "Not for Attribution" and "Took". Damien Lavelle Price (also known as "Day Day") is an aide to Senator Clay Davis. He is a convicted felon who appears unrefined on several occasions contemplating heists in public and stating things in the court room such as "Y'all tryin' to 'criminate me" while on the witness stand. He acts as a bag man in collecting cash from drug organizations. Price is arrested with a bag of cash after making a pick-up from the Barksdale Organization in season 1 but is released without charge when Davis pressures Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell. Price reappears in season 5 testifying as part of the case against Davis.

Odell Watkins
Played by: Frederick Strother Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; "Final Grades". Season five: "Unconfirmed Reports", "Transitions" State Delegate Odell Watkins is a longtime major Baltimore political figure and a wheelchair user. Watkins is a member of the influential State Appropriations Committee with strong voter influence and is known as a kingmaker. Watkins is also the moral voice of authority within Baltimore politicians as he has full support of the religious leaders, looks to address the concerns of the citizens in an ethical and representable way, and is most critical of politicians prone to bribes and corruption. In season three, Watkins backs Marla Daniels' campaign for the Western district council seat. Watkins believes that the council woman Marla aims to unseat, Eunetta Perkins, has become uninterested in the job. Initially, Mayor Royce resists, as Perkins was loyal to him. However, when he needs Watkins' support after a controversy involving Major Colvin legalizing drugs, Royce agrees to support Daniels. Watkins is disappointed, feeling that Royce should have decisively fired Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell over the scandal. Royce claims that firing Burrell though

Politicians of The Wire would only fuel fire aimed towards city hall given the reasoning for the "Hamsterdam" fallout. Watkins also connects Daniels with Dennis Wise, helping the former criminal to open a boxing gym for local children in her district. Watkins becomes further disillusioned after working with Royce's political rival Tommy Carcetti to secure funds for witness protection, and asking the mayor to match the funds. The mayor ignores their proposal, and Carcetti uses this against Royce in a debate after another witness is killed in the fourth season. Watkins, Carcetti, and Marla Daniels all attend the funeral of the murdered witness. Watkins splits from Royce once and for all after he notices that Royce's campaign staff only has Daniels on his ticket in districts where she is strong, and has her opponent Eunetta Perkins in the same position in districts where Daniels is weaker. He is also angered by Royce's immorality in supporting corrupt developers and politicians (such as Clay Davis). Furthermore, Watkins claims that as Royce has "gotten into bed with every developer," he has forgotten his roots by not helping the city's African American community and is covering it up by using Marcus Garvey posters in his campaign. Watkins angrily confronts Royce about his failure to keep his word and tells him he will no longer support his campaign, and instead sits out of the primary. Carcetti learns of Royce's failure to keep Watkins' trust through the police security detailed to protect the mayor as Deputy Rawls is looking to help the mayoral candidate who will do the right things with the PD. Carcetti appeals to Watkins to support him and become a guiding voice in his administration. Watkins' support on the campaign trail swings the tight primary to Carcetti's favor, and he easily goes on to become Mayor. Watkins' first piece of advice to Carcetti is that he would be unable to fire Burrell because of his race and Baltimore's African American majority of voters. Watkins at the same time agrees with the others in the administration that an out of town African American police commissioner should be sought as he has no confidence in Burrell either.[1]

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Baltimore City Administration

Current
Nerese Campbell Played by: Marlyne Afflack Appears in: Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Margin of Error"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings"; and "That's Got His Own" Season five: "More With Less"; "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Transitions"; "React Quotes"; "Clarifications"; "Late Editions"; and "30". Nerese Campbell is the Democratic president of the Baltimore City council. She is the only member of Clarence Royce's campaign ticket to win election to their respective position.[2] An attractive woman, Campbell first appeared drawing the attention of the Mayor's security detail officers. Campbell is the leading voice of opposition to Mayor Tommy Carcetti's plan to fire Commissioner Ervin Burrell claiming that a good portion of her constituency would be against this action. She is close to the ministers and politicians from Clarence Royce's era and frequently uses that influence as leverage against Carcetti. She admits to Carcetti that a gentleman's agreement had been in place under Royce whereby she would become the next mayor at the end of his tenure and that resentment over having been passed over for the office is the source of much of her hostility to his policies. In turn, Carcetti alerts her that she may become mayor by default if he decides to run for governor in 2008. When issues pertaining to the city school system arise, Campbell suggests that Carcetti go to Maryland's Republican governor to "beg" for the money to solve the $54 million deficit that the district is running. In the fifth season, Campbell is seen to influence and intimidate several key figures in politics and the police department. When Clay Davis threatens to incriminate other politicians of the Royce administration when he feels

Politicians of The Wire ill-supported during his trial, it is Campbell who convinces him that it is more advantageous for him to go quietly. Otherwise, he would return from prison and have "nowhere to hang his hat" in Baltimore. She advises him to follow ex-Commissioner Burrell's example, who has been promoted to a more lucrative job after leaving quietly when Mayor Carcetti fired him over falsified crime statistics. Burrell had threatened Campbell to leak an FBI file about Cedric Daniels, Carcetti's candidate for new Commissioner, if the mayor fired him. Campbell retains the file and threatens Daniels in the last episode of season 5 to reveal it, if he doesn't comply with the mayor's orders to falsify the crime statistics. In the final montage of the series finale, it is revealed that Campbell becomes the Mayor of Baltimore after Tommy Carcetti leaves to become the Governor of Maryland. Campbell bears similarities to former Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon, who was the city council president and became mayor following Martin O'Malley's 2006 election as governor.[3] Tommy Carcetti Tommy Carcetti is the new Mayor of Baltimore. Marla Daniels Played by: Maria Broom Appears in: Season one: "The Detail"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing". Season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Backwash" and "Port in a Storm". Season three: "Time After Time"; "Hamsterdam"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Home Rooms", "Refugees" Season five: "Not for Attribution", and "30". Marla is the ex-wife of Colonel Cedric Daniels. She always had ambitions for her husband to progress in the police force and his failure to do so contributed to the demise of their relationship. As their marriage fell apart, she decided to run for City Council, and is currently Councilwoman from the 11th District of Baltimore. Cedric seems a likely candidate to receive a promotion when he is assigned to run the controversial Barksdale detail. Throughout the first season, Marla advised Cedric to build the case his superiors were demanding (quick and simple, low-level busts), but he is pushed to more elaborate investigative work by the detectives he commanded. He also meets Day Day Price while attending a function she drags him to, which turns out to be important for the investigation. Cedric is banished to evidence control after upsetting his superiors, and Marla convinces him to leave the department and become a lawyer. Cedric is ready to do so until he got a second chance to do the kind of investigative work he wanted in the new Sobotka detail. Marla greets his decision to stay with the police with worry and skepticism, and eventually they separate. Marla runs for City Council in season three; Cedric appears publicly in uniform as a content husband to support her. Marla had the support and guidance of State Delegate Odell Watkins, but was running against Eunetta Perkins, an old ally of Mayor Clarence Royce. Because of this, her husband's promotion to major is being held up by Royce. She eventually seeks a reconciliation with Cedric, but he declines as he had become involved with Rhonda Pearlman. As a way of appeasing Watkins, the Mayor eventually lends her his support and allows Cedric's promotion to pass. Even with the Mayor's support, Marla is having trouble overcoming her entrenched rival at the beginning of season four. She attends the funeral of a witness murdered in the district alongside Watkins and learns that Tommy Carcetti is supportive of her campaign, despite her being part of Royce's ticket. Watkins switches to Carcetti's ticket at the last minute, and Marla comes with him, and she wins the election. [4]

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Politicians of The Wire Gerry Played by: Karen Vicks Appears in season four: "Boys of Summer" (uncredited); "Soft Eyes" (uncredited); "Refugees"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; . Jerilee Bennett[5] was a key member of Tommy Carcettis campaign staff in the Mayoral election race. She helps to decide campaign strategy along with Norman Wilson and Theresa D'Agostino. She becomes a senior staffer in the Carcetti administration. Anthony Gray Played by: Christopher Mann Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer", "Soft Eyes"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error". "Tony" Gray first appeared as a Democratic Baltimore Councilman in season three, working alongside his good friend Tommy Carcetti on the public safety subcommittee. Gray becomes disillusioned with Mayor Royce and uses his position on the committee to berate senior police officials including acting commissioner Burrell. Gray decides to run for mayor on an education platform; Carcetti encourages the decision, manipulating him to run. Gray hopes that Carcetti would join his campaign with a position as council president as a reward, but Carcetti plans to run for mayor himself, and is hoping Gray will split the black voting majority and allow him to win. This deception upsets Gray and destroys their friendship. In season four, Gray continues his stalling campaign. Carcetti's deputy campaign manager Norman Wilson feeds Gray a story about the police department covering up the murder of a state's witness. Gray took the story public, because he knew it would hurt the Mayor and help his campaign, which will help his political future even though he can't win. Gray was shown attending church with his wife on the eve of the election. Gray ultimately loses his election campaign to Carcetti.[6] Michael Steintorf Played by: Neal Huff[7] Appears in Season four: "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Season five: "More With Less"; "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Not for Attribution"; "Transitions"; "The Dickensian Aspect"; "Took"; "Clarifications"; "Late Editions"; and "30". Michael Steintorf becomes Mayor Tommy Carcetti's chief of staff soon after he takes office.[8][9] Steintorf counsels Carcetti to reject the Governor's plan to force them to expend the political capital they need for Carcetti to later run for governor in exchange for the capital they need to rectify the deficit in the education budget.[5][10][10][11] Actor Neal Huff joined the starring cast for season five.[12][13][14] Steintorf continues to push Carcetti towards his run for Governor and their decision to decline the Governor's funding leaves the city with a difficult budget crisis.[15][16] Steintorf is concerned that Carcetti needs to pick a suitable successor so that people feel comfortable with him leaving Baltimore for the Governor's chair. Steintorf thinks that Nerese Campbell's links to corruption make her unsuitable and suggests that State's Attorney Rupert Bond might be a preferable alternative. Carcetti and Steintorf's focus on running for Governor brings criticism from Norman Wilson and State Delegate Odell Watkins but Steintorf believes Carcetti's ambitions are typical of the world as a whole.[17][18] Steintorf is pleased when Carcetti is able to fire Commissioner Ervin Burrell and supports the plan to replace him with Cedric Daniels in time. Carcetti and Steintorf reject State Senator Clay Davis' offer to smooth over the transitions in the police department in

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Politicians of The Wire exchange for assistance in his corruption case.[19][20] Steintorf is petulant when Campbell and the politically influential ministers use the situation in the police department to negotiate for political favors but Carcetti grants their demands.[21][22] Following the breaking of the homeless serial killer story Steintorf is instrumental in developing homelessness into a key issue for Carcetti's gubernatorial campaign.[23][24] Steintorf is also involved in dealing with the budget ramifications of shifting resources back to the police department.[25][26][27][28] Steintorf is responsible for pressuring the police department to provide a drop in crime to protect Carcetti from criticism and refuses to honor Carcetti's earlier promises to reform the police department.[29][30] Once the serial killer is revealed to be fake Steintorf negotiates with William Rawls, Daniels, Bond, and Rhonda Pearlman to ensure that a thorough cover-up is put into effect. Rawls and Pearlman are rewarded for their co-operation with new posts. After the crisis is dealt with Steintorf renews pressure on Daniels to produce a drop in crime and order him to falsify statistics. When Daniels refuses Steintorf approaches Campbell and convinces her that Daniels will remain problematic when she replaces Carcetti as Mayor. Campbell intervenes and forces Daniels to step down and Steintorf receives his required statistics from his replacement, Stanislaus Valchek. At the close of the series Steintorf's machinations ensure that Carcetti becomes Governor.[31][32] Norman Wilson Wilson is a former journalist, professional Democratic political operative and deputy manager of Tommy Carcetti's campaign in the mayoral race. He becomes Carcetti's deputy chief of staff after he is elected.

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Former
Eunetta Perkins Played by: Unknown Appears in: Season three: "Mission Accomplished" Season four: "Alliances" Eunetta was the City Councilwoman from the 11th District of Baltimore. According to a commentary track, it was a running joke on the show that Perkins was never present at City Council meetings. Despite this, Mayor Royce sticks with her, due to her loyalty. Eventually, Royce agrees to support her opponent, Marla Daniels. Royce is seen supporting both candidates causing Odell Watkins to throw his support to Tommy Carcetti taking Daniels with him. Perkins remains on the ticket keeping the race tight, but ultimately loses the position to Marla Daniels. Coleman Parker Played by: Cleo Reginald Pizana Appears in: Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Unto Others" and "Final Grades". Parker was the chief of staff and main advisor to Mayor Clarence Royce, organizing Royce's time and limiting access to the mayor. Parker relies on property developer Andy Krawczyk for large donations and assistance in fund raising. He organizes the mayor's re-election campaign including public speaking events with major property developers. He is also responsible for negotiations over debates with the mayor. In season three, Parker is the first to see that Royce is politically vulnerable because of Baltimore's rising crime rate and urges the mayor to fire acting Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell. Royce resists, because he values loyalty and

Politicians of The Wire Burrell has always proved useful to him. When drug tolerant zones set up by police district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin are exposed in Western Baltimore, Parker advisers that it would be a disaster to support them, despite a fall in the areas' crime rate. Royce entertains the idea of extending the experiment, but Parker eventually convinces him that this would be too difficult to explain to the public. Parker again calls for Burrell to be fired and Royce agrees. However, Burrell convinces Royce that he will deflect responsibility off of Royce, and expects to receive a full term as commissioner as a reward for his loyalty. Parker and Royce privately agree to fire Burrell once they win re-election. Parker first appears quick to crack down on Burrell and Demper when key political figures are served with subpoenas for their records by the Baltimore police department in season four. He and Royce extracts an assurance from Burrell that there will be no further surprises from the department. In Royce's first debate, opponent Tommy Carcetti scores points against him using knowledge of the recent murder of a state's witness. The Mayor orders Parker to institute a series of measures to strike back against Carcetti, including disrupting Carcetti's campaign and bullying contributors into solely contributing to the Royce war chest, but Carcetti continues to gain on the Mayor in the polls. When Burrell reassigns the lead detective on the witness case this gives Carcetti, Royce's other opponent Anthony Gray uses this against him. Parker urges Royce to fire Burrell and this time he agrees. Parker is dismayed when Royce alienates State Delegate Watkins, a key supporter with influence among religious leaders, by failing to support Watkins' protegee Marla Daniels. Parker desperately pursues Watkins to urge him to reconsider. This proves to be a turning point in the election race, and Royce is defeated by Carcetti. Royce and Parker later meet with Carcetti and his chief of staff Norman Wilson to amiably discuss the transfer of power. Parker is last seen discussing future prospects with Wilson, planning to either lead another campaign for Royce in a different office or, barring that, a "new buck". [33] Clarence Royce Royce was the mayor of Baltimore, until Carcetti beat him in a primary upset.

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Campaign staff
Theresa D'Agostino
Played by: Brandy Burre Appears in: Season three: "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error" Terry D'Agostino is a Washington-based political consultant and campaign fixer. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law at the same time as councilman Tommy Carcetti. In season three, Carcetti aggressively pursues D'Agostino to work as his campaign manager for his planned run for Mayor of Baltimore. She is reluctant to work for a white candidate in a predominantly African American city, but Carcetti convinces her he is worth taking a chance on. Once on board, D'Agostino was quick to plan a strategy for the campaign. Carcetti suggested they use his colleague Anthony Gray, who was also planning to run, to split the African American voter base. D'Agostino also has a relationship with Detective Jimmy McNulty during season three, which was strictly sexual. The relationship comes to an end after McNulty is led to believe that D'Agostino wants to get to know him, but then realized that she is merely trying to get information about Bunny Colvin and Hamsterdam from him to help the campaign. D'Agostino arranges for Carcetti to receive coaching on his public speaking. She felt that he is too focused on winning arguments and that he should put appearing likable first. When Carcetti discovers that a police district commander, Howard "Bunny" Colvin, has created drug-tolerant zones, D'Agostino saw an opportunity to attack the current mayor, Clarence Royce, and encourages her candidate to use it. He uses this to launch into an inspiring

Politicians of The Wire speech, convincing many that he is a political force to be reckoned with. In season four, the campaign is in full swing, and D'Agostino works alongside new deputy campaign manager Norman Wilson. She encourages Carcetti to become involved in fundraising, forcing him to stay in his office until he has raised set amounts. She also shields him as best she could from polling data that did not meet his expectations. D'Agostino's strategizing and Wilson's hard work on the campaign trail contribute to Carcetti's victory in the mayoral primary. D'Agostino chooses the night of his win to approach him for her "win bonus" by seducing him. When Carcetti resists her advances she is bemused but respects his wishes. D'Agostino returns to Washington with a higher profile to work for the DCCC after her success in Baltimore.[34]

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Fund-raisers
Andy Krawczyk
Played by: Michael Willis Appears in: Season two: "Collateral Damage" (uncredited) and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited). Season three: "Hamsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees"; "A New Day"; "That's Got His Own". Season five: "The Dickensian Aspect"; and "30". Krawczyk is a property developer who is at least marginally corrupt. He discusses Frank Sobotka's union business with Major Valchek. He is working on a model of the prospective grain pier condominium development which Sobotka is against. He is later shown breaking ground on the development with State Senator Davis. In season three, Krawczyk is revealed to be the property developing consultant to Stringer Bell. He is constantly trying to calm Stringer down, explaining the business to him, and is ultimately present when Omar Little comes calling on Bell for revenge. In season four, he continues to make campaign donations to Clarence Royce in exchange for assistance with his property developments. Krawczyk is also a regular fixture at Royce's fundraising poker games, where players deliberately lose (to get around campaign finance laws). Detective Kima Greggs personally serves Krawczyk, who does not seem particularly worried by this, with a subpoena for financial records, as part of Lester Freamon's investigation into the Barksdale money trail. Michael Willis was previously a recurring character on David Simon's previous show, Homicide: Life on the Street, playing a corrupt deceitful lawyer.

Relatives
Jen Carcetti
Played by: Megan Anderson Appears in: Season three: "Dead Soldiers"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished". Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Margin of Error"; Final Grades. Season five: "The Dickensian Aspect" (uncredited); "Clarifications"; and "30". Jen Carcetti is the wife of councilman Tommy Carcetti. They have two children, a son and a daughter. Jen supports Tommy's political ambitions and is seemingly unaware of his infidelity.[35]

Politicians of The Wire

265

References
[1] "Character profile - Odell Watkins" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ odell_watkins. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [2] "Character profile - Nerese Campbell" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ nerese_campbell. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [3] "Baltimore Mayor's House Raided" (http:/ / www. newsone. com/ nation/ article/ baltimore-mayors-house-raided). newsone.com. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-06-30. [4] "Character profile - Marla Daniels" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marla_daniels. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2004-12-10). "Final Grades". The Wire. episode 13. season 4. HBO. [6] "Character profile - Anthony Gray" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ anthony_gray. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [7] "Cast & Crew - Neal Huff as Michael Steintorf" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ neal_huff. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [8] Ed Burns, George Pelecanos; George Pelecanos (2004-12-03). "That's Got His Own". The Wire. episode 12. season 4. HBO. [9] "Episode guide - episode 49 That's Got His Own" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode49. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2007-03-30. [10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2007-10-17. [11] "Character profile - Michael Steintorf" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_steintorf. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [12] "About the Show" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ about/ ). HBO. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-12-12. [13] "HBO Re-Hangs 'Wire' in January" (http:/ / www. zap2it. com/ tv/ news/ zap-thewirepremieredate,0,7068981. story#TheWireHBO). Zap 2 It. 2007. . Retrieved 2007-12-07. [14] Kelly Jane Torrance (2007). "Tuning In" (http:/ / www. washingtontimes. com/ apps/ pbcs. dll/ article?AID=/ 20071206/ ENTERTAINMENT/ 112060018/ <%collapse%>& template=nextpage). The Washington Times. . Retrieved 2007-12-07. [15] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [16] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [17] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [18] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [19] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [20] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [21] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [22] "The Wire episode guide - episode 54 Transitions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode54. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-05. [23] Seith Mann; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-10). "The Dickensian Aspect". The Wire. episode 6. season 5. HBO. [24] "The Wire episode guide - episode 56 The Dickensian Aspect" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode56. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [25] Dominic West; Richard Price (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-17). "Took". The Wire. episode 7. season 5. HBO. [26] "The Wire episode guide - episode 57 Took" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode57. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [27] Anthony Hemingway; Dennis Lehane (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-02-24). "Clarifications". The Wire. episode 8. season 5. HBO. [28] "The Wire episode guide - episode 58 Clarifications" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode58. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-29. [29] Joe Chappelle; George Pelecanos (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-03-02). "Late Editions". The Wire. episode 9. season 5. HBO. [30] "The Wire episode guide - episode 59 Late Editions" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode59. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10. [31] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-03-09). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [32] "The Wire episode guide - episode 60 30" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode60. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-03-10.

Politicians of The Wire

[33] "Character profile - Chief of Staff Coleman Parker" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ chief_of_staff. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [34] "Character profile - Theresa D'Agostino" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ theresa_dagostino. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15. [35] "Character profile - Jennifer Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ jennifer_carcetti. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12.

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Tommy Carcetti

267

Tommy Carcetti
Thomas J. Carcetti
First appearance "Time after Time" (episode 3.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Aidan Gillen Information Aliases Gender Occupation Tommy (nickname) Male Baltimore City Councilman Mayor of Baltimore Governor of Maryland Councilman Mayor Governor Jen Carcetti

Title

Spouse(s)

Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Irish actor Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious Baltimore politician who rises from a seat on the city council to the office of the Mayor of Baltimore, and to the office of the Governor of Maryland by the end of the series.

Biography
Season 3
Tommy Carcetti first appeared as a Baltimore City councilman and Chairman of the Council Subcommittee for Public Safety in season three. Carcetti is a husband and a loving father although he is sometimes unfaithful to his wife, Jen. As a councilman he worked closely with Tony Gray and the two were friends. Carcetti was idealistic and ambitious, and had the backing of Baltimore's powerful first district Democrats. Carcetti aimed to effect real change and hoped to improve the city of Baltimore. He had a strong ambition to become mayor and had formed a plan to unseat the African American incumbent, Clarence Royce. His Democratic Party political connections gave him a sympathetic contact in the Baltimore Police Department, Major Stan Valchek. Carcetti successfully manipulated then-Acting Commissioner Burrell into working with him using his power as chairman and his connection to Valchek. Carcetti suggested that Burrell provide him with inside information about Mayor Royce's decision-making in exchange for rewards of political capital, funding and equipment for the police department, as well as a reducing the pressure being applied to Burrell's department through Carcetti's subcommittee. Burrell initially resisted, but agreed to Carcetti's plan when Tommy upped the pressure on the commissioner and the police department. Carcetti became further disillusioned with Royce when he approached him with a plan to implement a witness protection system in Baltimore. Carcetti had worked with State Delegate Odell Watkins to secure funding for the plan. Royce promised to consider it but quickly disregarded Carcetti's concern. Carcetti was an old college friend of Washington political consultant Theresa D'Agostino and pursued her to act as his campaign manager for his planned run against Royce.

Tommy Carcetti Carcetti learned that Tony Gray also planned to run for Mayor and encouraged him to do so. Using Gray's campaign as evidence that the African American voter base would be split in the election, Carcetti convinced Theresa D'Agostino to act as his campaign manager. D'Agostino advised him that enhancing Gray's campaign's chances of success would in turn improve his own chance of winning the election. Carcetti disliked the idea of abusing his friend's trust, but decided to follow D'Agostino's strategy nonetheless. Carcetti was helped by Commissioner Burrell, after the department learned of Major Colvin's drug-tolerant zones set up in West Baltimore. Mayor Royce refused to allow the department to immediately shut down the zones, and Burrell suspects that Royce is doing so in order to put the BPD in the "Guillotine." Burrell decided that the press should be made aware of the situation in order to get the department back on track, and as a result, feeds Carcetti the information as a means of going public to spin the blame back on Royce for the cause of the drug-sanctioned areas. At D'Agostino's suggestion, he approached Colvin, asking for his side of the story. Colvin had Carcetti tour the area where he views safe neighborhoods, "real" police work being done (felony church burglary arrests amongst other cases), and a happier and more vibrant community. After showing Carcetti these areas, Colvin showed him "Hamsterdam" where he viewed the open air drug dealing. Carcetti was disgusted with the rampant drug trade in the areas themselves but observed the impact that isolating the trade had on the rest of Colvin's district. Carcetti gave the story to Tony Gray to break to the media, boosting Gray's legitimacy; he and Gray used the drug zones against Royce in their campaigns. At the next city council meeting, Carcetti revealed his interest in running for mayor through his speech pertaining to the drug sanctioned areas. He claimed that "the city has neglected areas like West Baltimore, causing them to become more dangerous and decayed, and that change is more important than who takes what blame for the drug legalization". Through this, Gray realized that Carcetti was running for Mayor and after he publicly announced his intentions, Gray ended both their alliance and their friendship. Carcetti's speech relied heavily on "war" rhetoric, including words such as "weapons" and "arsenal", which clashed with Colvin's view that such a perspective was what has made the campaign against drugs unwinnable.

268

Season 4
By Season Four, Carcetti's campaign was well underway. He hired Norman Wilson as his deputy campaign manager, who oversaw the practicalities of organizing Carcetti's schedule and kept him working non-stop. Teresa D'Agostino remained on board as the campaign strategist and was insistent that Carcetti work on his own fundraising for the campaign - he greatly resented the task. When early polls showed results which were not what Carcetti had hoped for, he began to lose interest in the campaign, believing that he had already lost because of his race. He continued to make his campaign stops at the urging of Wilson but began to refocus his attention on his family. Carcetti was uninterested in debate preparation but planned to perform well anyway. He believed that he could beat incumbent Mayor Clarence Royce in a debate but would still lose the election regardless. Carcetti's debate answers were invigorated when he learned from Major Valchek that a state's witness was recently murdered. Carcetti used this inside information and his previous request for a witness protection scheme to "ambush" Royce in the debate to great effect. His confidence restored, he hit the campaign trail with renewed vigor. Carcetti then received more assistance from State Delegate Watkins when he broke his alliance with Mayor Royce. Carcetti convinced Watkins to join his campaign and with this alliance, he defeated Royce in a close but decisive Democratic primary election.[1] Later he goes on to beat a Republican named Crawford in the general election. As mayor-elect, Carcetti immediately began to make changes before his swearing-in. He gave Wilson a position as his chief assistant and advisor (a position matching that of Coleman Parker in Royce's "inner circle") and then, after discussions with city political officials, decides to make changes in the police department by replacing Ervin Burrell as commissioner. Watkins advises Carcetti that it would be an unwise move "for a Caucasian mayor to fire an African American Police Commissioner in a majority African American city". Carcetti planned to attract candidates from outside of Baltimore with a pay increase while at the same time asking Burrell to resign at Wilson's suggestion.

Tommy Carcetti Burrell quickly realized why Carcetti could not fire him immediately, and refused to quietly leave the department. Burrell formed an alliance with City Council President Nerese Campbell and corrupt State Senator Clay Davis. Burrell continued to hold the support of a group of ministers with great political influence in the African American community. Campbell was primed to replace Royce as Mayor when his term ended, but Carcetti upset their plans by unseating Royce, drawing Campbell's enmity. Campbell opposed Carcetti's efforts to authorize a pay increase for the commissioner position. Burrell ordered an increase in arrests (mainly targeting simple misdemeanors) at Davis' suggestion, hoping to prove that the Department was functioning well under his leadership. Carcetti was frustrated when his plans to replace Burrell were thwarted. Carcetti restricted Burrell's authority and insisted that he clear his orders through Deputy Commissioner William Rawls. Rawls convinced Carcetti that he wanted to reform the department but remained unaware that Carcetti felt unable to promote him to the position because of his race. Major Cedric Daniels, a politically-neutral African American district commander, impressed Carcetti with his interest in quality felony arrests rather than statistically based reductions of crime. Carcetti offered Major Daniels a promotion to the Criminal Investigations Division, which came with automatic promotion to the rank of Colonel. Through Daniels, Carcetti learned of the arrest hike and consequently ordered the Department to reform its approach to prioritize quality felony cases over fulfilling statistical quotas. As Carcetti began to "groom" Daniels for the commissioner's post, both Davis and Campbell remained opposed to Burrell's termination. Davis suggested that Campbell convince the City Council to approve a $25,000 increase in the commissioner's salary. Burrell and Davis believed this would be sufficient enough for Carcetti to hope that there was a possibility of attracting a new police commissioner without actually drawing any realistic interest. Carcetti began to plan for a possible run for the office of the Governor of Maryland. Carcetti attempted to mollify Campbell with the possibility of her taking over as Mayor part-way through his term should he become Governor. Carcetti was pressed with issues pertaining to the possible redevelopment and the opening of casinos to create revenue for the city. Newly elected State's Attorney Rupert Bond opposed the casino development. Carcetti's plans for the police department were derailed when he learned that the city schools were facing a $54 million budget deficit. Campbell suggested that he appeal to the Governor to bail out the schools. Carcetti and Wilson travel to Annapolis where they are forced to endure a long wait for the Governor to end a phone call based meeting. The Governor offers the funds but attaches a conditionCarcetti would face public humiliation at a press conference accepting the Governor's aid. Carcetti rejects the offer as it would be damaging to his campaign against the Governor. Wilson was disappointed at Carcetti's decision to put his ambition ahead of the needs of the city. Carcetti justified his decision by claiming that he would be in a better place to help the city schools as Governor. Carcetti dealt with a brutality complaint from the politically influential African American ministers against Sergeant Thomas "Herc" Hauk. At Wilson and Rawls' suggestion, Carcetti decided that Major Daniels, who was a former commander of Hauk (Season 1 and Season 2) should decide the punishment as a means of appeasing the ministers. Daniels decided that a reprimand for excessive force was sufficient punishment. Burrell approached Carcetti to suggest that a more rigorous review of Hauk was needed to appease the ministers, and Hauk is forced to leave the department as a eventual result. Burrell was finally able to prove his usefulness to Carcetti by exploiting his political intellect but Carcetti continued to consult Daniels on policing strategy.

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Tommy Carcetti

270

Season 5
Carcetti's decision to reject the Governor's hand-out leaves him with intractable budget problems throughout his first year as Mayor. He is forced to cut spending in other areas in order to plug the school budget deficit and is unable to keep his promises to reform the police department. Despite the problems facing the city, Carcetti remains focused on running for Governor two years into his term. Carcetti meets with Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls to discuss the police department's problems; he is now primarily concerned with their crime statistics despite his prior decision to discourage stat-based policing. Morale in the department is at a low because Carcetti is withholding payment of overtime. The commissioners convince Carcetti to lift a cap on secondary employment for officers in order to improve their morale. Carcetti's new chief of staff, Michael Steintorf, has replaced Norman Wilson as his primary advisor. Carcetti faces criticism from Wilson for his decision to leave the hand out from the governor but still seeks his counsel. Carcetti meets with the Maryland District US Attorney to discuss federal assistance for the vacant murders case. The US Attorney is a Republican and desires federal handling of the Clay Davis corruption investigation. Carcetti refuses to order the State's Attorney, Rupert Bond, to send the case federal because he is worried it will be used to discredit the Baltimore Democratic party.[2][3] Carcetti continues to plan his run for Governor and manages to alienate State Delegate Odell Watkins with his lack of attention to his role as Mayor. One issue Carcetti has to consider is who to back to replace him. The major candidates are Bond, whose profile is rising, and city council president Nerese Campbell. Campbell is becoming a less attractive choice because of a scandal linking her to corruption, but she maintains strong ties to the politically influential ministers. Another factor is finding an issue where the governor is vulnerable to campaign upon.[4][5] Deputy commissioner Stanislaus Valchek leaks police department statistics to Carcetti that show a rising crime rate. When Commissioner Burrell delivers manipulated statistics to Carcetti the Mayor finally has the political ammunition he needs to fire Burrell. Carcetti plans to replace Burrell with Cedric Daniels but is worried that he will not be accepted by Campbell and the ministers and that Daniels is inexperienced. He plans to temporarily promote Rawls to acting commissioner while Daniels prepares for the role as Deputy Commissioner of Operations. Carcetti leaks news of the plan to the press via Wilson to test the waters.[6][7] Carcetti offers favors to Campbell and the ministers to accept his plans for the police department. Carcetti grants Campbell permission for the demolition of the McCullough homes, which are adjacent to Andy Krawczyk's latest building development. Campbell convinces Burrell to leave office quietly by promising him a lucrative replacement position. Carcetti reluctantly accepts the deal when Campbell hints that Burrell has knowledge of corrupt activity in Daniels' past but Carcetti remains unaware of the specifics. Carcetti officially announces his plans for the department at a press conference.[8] In the end of series montage, it is shown that Carcetti's political machinations have succeeded and he has been elected governor of Maryland. Per his previous agreement Campbell is given the position of mayor, while Rawls and Valchek are respectively promoted to superintendent of the Maryland State Police and interim Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.

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271

Critical response

Was there any Baltimorean ... who didn't think Carcetti bore an undeniable resemblance to O'Malley?

[9]

David Zurawik, The Baltimore Sun

Entertainment Weekly named Carcetti one of the five most interesting characters in season four.[10] Many observers have speculated that the inspiration for Carcetti is former Baltimore mayor and current Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. Series creator David Simon has stated, however, that while O'Malley was "one of several inspirations" for the character, other aspects of the character were based on local politicians "whose names you wouldnt even know."[11]

References
[1] "Character profile - Tommy Carcetti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ tommy_carcetti. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-13. [2] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [9] Zurawik, David (2006-07-12). "Local figures, riveting drama put `Wire' in a class by itself" (http:/ / articles. baltimoresun. com/ 2006-07-12/ features/ 0607120099_1_simon-wire-entire-season). The Baltimore Sun. . Retrieved June 10, 2011. [10] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27. [11] "Five Minutes With: David Simon" (http:/ / campusprogress. org/ features/ 1273/ five-minutes-with-david-simon). campusprogress.org. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-11-06.

Clarence Royce

272

Clarence Royce
Clarence V. Royce
First appearance "Time after Time" (episode 3.01) Last appearance "React Quotes" (episode 5.05) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Glynn Turman Information Gender Occupation Male Former Mayor of Baltimore

Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Glynn Turman.

Biography
Mayor of Baltimore Clarence V. Royce is a deft political figure and is fixated on remaining in power. Royce is the incumbent Mayor of Baltimore who was elected into office in 1998 and is in the process of seeking re-election. He is ably advised by his chief of staff Coleman Parker and also takes counsel from State Delegate Odell Watkins. Royce values loyalty amongst his people and aims to reward it whenever it will not hurt his position to do so. He appointed Ervin Burrell as acting commissioner following the retirement of Warren Frazier.

Season 3
Royce first appears at the demolition of the Franklin Terrace housing projects as a means of demonstrating reform throughout Baltimore. With a new election approaching, Royce's advisor and chief of staff Coleman Parker notices the ambitions of first district councilman Tommy Carcetti who has been criticizing police commissioner Ervin Burrell at the public safety meetings over Baltimore's crime rate. Parker explains that as Carcetti's district is getting its share of funding and political influence, he must be planning a run against Royce for Mayor. Royce initially scoffs at the idea of Carcetti becoming mayor due to his race in majority African American Baltimore claiming he is in the wrong town to run for mayor. It is sensed however that Carcetti will most likely exploit the crime figures that have increased under Royce's administration. Seeing that this will be Carcetti's campaign foundation and that Royce's administration is unable to find support from Carcetti's district (Carcetti represents the first district, a district populated by white ethnics who have a history for voting against Baltimore's African American politicians), Royce calls on Commissioner Burrell to reduce the felony rate citywide. Royce orders the police department to reduce felonies by a minimum of 5% in each district and keep the murder rate below 275 for the year in order to counter Carcetti's campaign. When crime rates begin to rise Royce is urged to sack Burrell by Parker and State Delegate Odell Watkins but is reluctant to do so because of his loyalty. Burrell is in the meantime critical of State's Attorney Demper whom he blames for the lack of casework going through the courthouse. Demper is supported for his loyalty to Royce but is not well regarded by Watkins who views him as being more interested in his elected position than the pursuit of justice. When Watkins mentors Marla Daniels to take the seat of Royce council loyalist Eunetta Perkins in the eleventh district, Royce responds by holding up her husband's promotion and supporting Perkins. Royce's propensity to put the stability of his own position ahead of the needs of the city creates political enemies for him. Tommy Carcetti seizes on Royce's unwillingness to entertain diverting funds into a witness protection scheme as a reason to criticize their administration drawing the support of African American politicians such as Odell

Clarence Royce Watkins in the process. Councilman Tony Gray, an African American ally to Carcetti also decides to run against Royce on the platform of education reform. Gray initially suggests that Carcetti run as his vice mayor as he feels that is the safest choice for Carcetti given Baltimore's African American majority. Carcetti however is advised by Theresa D'Agostino, his professional campaign fixer to have Gray and Royce both remain in the race as a means of diverting the city's African American votes. When drug tolerant zones set up by police district commander Howard "Bunny" Colvin were exposed in Western Baltimore, Royce is urged by Parker to fire Burrell immediately. Seeing the drop in crime citywide, Royce considered keeping them running under a different name as a means of finding a middle ground in what had happened. Parker realized that it would be a disaster to support them despite this along with Delegate Watkins. Watkins warns Royce of the lack of support from both the ministers and city council members and how the government on local, state, and federal levels would use the opportunity to "piss on the city from a great height." Royce continued to entertain the idea of extending the experiment under a different name with support from States Attorney Steven Demper and several public health officials. Burrell in the meantime feared Royce was using this disaster to put the department's commanders in the "guillotine" and decided to go to Tommy Carcetti as a means of alerting the media to the drug sanctioned zones. After the press got wind of "Hamsterdam", Royce saw the error of his ways and with Parker threatened Burrell for the fallout. However Burrell turned Royce's hesitation to his advantage by threatening to expose the Mayor's consideration of the project with the help of his "liberal do-gooders" and his orders to "juke the stats" in the department for re-election purposes as a means of keeping his job. Burrell then offered an alternative to grant him a full term as police commissioner- he would offer Colvin as the scapegoat for Hamsterdam taking the rest of the blame on the department preventing City Hall from finding out any additional facts pertaining to Royce's consideration of the drug sanctioned zones. Needing Burrell to buffer between the city council members and the Mayor's office, Royce complied with Burrell, granting him his term as commissioner against Watkins' wishes. Parker and Royce however secretly agree to fire Burrell once they win re-election.

273

Season 4
Royce's election campaign is a well-oiled machine. Parker is an effective fundraiser and Royce is booked into many high profile speaking opportunities with property developers to push his motto of reform and development. Royce receives massive contributions and fundraising help from developer Andy Krawczyk. Royce retains state senator Clay Davis as his deputy campaign chairman. Royce is given more reason to be displeased with Burrell when these key political figures's records are subpoenaed by the police department's major case unit.[1] Davis in particular is outraged and visits Royce personally to tell him that he never asks where his money comes from suggesting that it is potentially corrupt coming out of West Baltimore in a large amount. He warns Royce though to protect him if he wants funding for the campaign to come from Davis. Royce then displays this anger to Burrell who then assures that there will be no more surprises within his department. Royce has an adulterous relationship with a female assistant. He is caught receiving oral sex in his office by one of his security detail, Thomas "Herc" Hauk. He later checks with Parker to see who Herc's friends are in the department and considers having him reassigned. Royce then talks with Herc, asking his career goals in the department and why he chose the mayor's detail. Herc claims he did it to move up on the sergeants list, and Royce then immediate calls Burrell to have him promoted. (Major Valchek spoke with Herc about the oral sex incident and predicted the promotion would occur in the way that it had). Royce's campaign receives its first major setback in the debates. Carcetti drops a bombshell on Royce when he uses news of a recently murdered state's witness in an answer taking the opportunity to accuse Royce of ignoring his request for witness protection in Baltimore - Royce is unaware of the killing and unable to respond adequately. Royce's campaign then goes downhill as Carcetti has now grasped a sizeable amount of Black voters.[2] Royce gets more angered when Commissioner Burrell fails to successfully downplay the witness investigation and promises to fire Burrell at Parker's request following an election victory. Furthermore, Royce is criticized by

Clarence Royce Delegate Watkins who is instrumental in keeping Royce eye to eye with the city council members. Watkins is angered by Royce's support of both Marla Daniels and her opponent Eunetta Perkins who he promised to drop from his ticket. Furthermore, Watkins believes that Royce is more interested in appeasing the developers who have funded his campaign and the large sums of money that Royce has been illegally collecting on the side. Watkins also believes that Royce has disregarded the city's African American community stating that he is hiding behind Marcus Garvey campaign posters to win their vote. Watkins then breaks with Royce after claiming that he is immoral and unable to keep his promises. The security detail to Royce notices this and informs Deputy Rawls who believes that Tommy Carcetti can do better things for their police department. Carcetti gets Watkins' support and with Watkins' support, Royce loses the election.

274

Relationships With Various Groups and People

Through Royce's depiction on the show, his relationships with various subordinates and groups is shown in a differing manner. Mayor Royce is shown having a good relationship with Property Developers, a bad relationship with Commissioner Burrell and Councilmen Carcetti and Gray, and a circumstantial relationship with other various characters whom he interacts with on the show.

Relationship with Property Developers

Mayor Royce cares greatly about those who fund his campaign as he seeks re-election through development and reform of a decayed city. Royce is quick to protect developers such as Andy Krawcyzk who own development agencies and contribute heavily to his office. In turn, Royce overrides their permits to be approved by power of the Mayor's office regardless of opposition to developing in a specific area (The Grainery in Season 2 which IBS members were fighting to keep is an example). Every month, Royce held a poker game where the developers' losses (most of which occurred by purposeful folds) would go into Mayor Royce's pockets to buy influence throughout Baltimore City's residents and politicians. Royce also is seen showing support for Senator Clay Davis, a corrupt politician who receives illegal money that contributes heavily to the support of the city administration offices. As Royce's campaign is dependent on developer money, he is stated to be "in bed with every developer" having their security as a paramount concern of his.

Relationship with Police Department and State's Attorney's office

As Mayor Royce's office is viewed as being soft on crime by the public safety subcomittee, Royce is extremely critical of the Baltimore Police Department often blaming Commissioner Ervin Burrell solely for the department's problems. Other politicians such as Odell Watkins view Burrell as merely the "hack" of the ministers and often pass down the negative criticism of the department to the mayor's office. To improve his office's view on crime, Royce pressures Burrell to reduce it by any means necessary as a means of being re-elected. The pressure causes Burrell to relieve two of his majors Marvin Taylor and Howard Colvin, two African American district commanders whose districts' uncontrollable drug trade made them unable to reduce crime by conventional methods instructed to them by the department's upper command. Burrell was quick to criticize his own subordinates in order to protect Royce from the City Council. Because of this, Royce initially values Burrell's loyalty but is later angered by the department for issuing subpoenas against election fundraisers and making the public aware of the murder of a dead state's witness. Royce looks from there to fire Burrell upon re-election and promote William Rawls to the BPD Commissioner. Royce is also criticized for keeping Steven Demper, the Maryland State's Attorney for Baltimore City on his campaign ticket as Demper is more interested in his elected position then pursuing justice. Demper, like Burrell is valued for his loyalty and keeps his post under Royce's rule. Following the election, Royce and Demper both lose however and a new front office consisting of former Councilman Thomas Carcetti and State's Attorney Rupert Bond take their places respectively.

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Relationship with City Council and Politicians

Royce generally relies on Chief of Staff Coleman Parker and Delegate Watkins to help him remain eye to eye with city council members. Royce appreciates loyalty from city politicians keeping them on his campaign ticket even when their position is questionably granted. He is shown being hammered by Baltimore City Council members Tony Gray and Thomas Carcetti for the decay of the city due to the rise in crime and decline in quality of public education. To appease the two of them, especially Carcetti whom he views as a threat to his chair, Royce criticizes Ervin Burrell and other public figures pressuring them to meet the council's demands if for any other reason to guarantee re-election. It is noted early in Season 3 that Royce receives no support from the first district represented by Carcetti as it is a predominantly white ethnic area in Southeastern Baltimore which has a history for voting against African American politicians. When Royce is questioned about witness protection from Carcetti, Odell Watkins assists Carcetti in obtaining the matching funds, but Royce ignores the council's pleas which eventually result in becoming a problem in his campaign. Royce also finds conflict with Watkins in the city's eleventh district for keeping incumbent councilwoman Eunetta Perkins on his ticket. Royce eventually lies to Watkins promising to drop her for Watkins' protege Marla Daniels, but keeps Perkins on the ticket anyway. This causes a split from Delegate Watkins who is the kingmaker essential in keeping Royce in line with the council members. Coleman Parker remains loyal to Royce up until the election where following the loss, he plans to help a new candidate from Maryland's Eastern Shore with Carcetti's Chief of Staff Norman Wilson. Royce also relies heavily on West Baltimore State Senator Clay Davis who when properly positioned is an instrumental player in gaining the necessary votes from specifically needed people. Davis' loyalty however is circumstant to bribery and those who protect him from criminal investigations.

Relationship with Voters

Following Royce's introduction in Season 3, city voters are angered by the rise in crime and other negative attributes from Royce's office. Royce appeases the voters through criticizing and threatening to demote his subordinates such as Burrell to make the city look better. Royce is actually more concerned about creating a good image amongst city voters temporarily as a means of winning the election and is not as concerned about having his office create good permanent changes that occur based on the voter's actual needs. To win against Tommy Carcetti and Tony Gray, Royce plays the race card in the election in Season 4 relying on Baltimore's African American majority to vote for him. Royce's office figures that with their funding, Carcetti's race, African American flag campaign colors, and Marcus Garvey posters that Royce appears as the best candidate amongst African American voters. Odell Watkins however sees through Royce's scheme pointing out that his interest in the voters' safety is not as high as his interest in the property developers' security causing him to move his support to Tommy Carcetti which becomes the turning point during re-election.

Relationship with Family

Royce is shown to be married in Season 4 but is caught in an adulterous affair with a female secretary by Officer Thomas "Herc" Hauk. After establishing Herc's loyalty, Royce grants him a promotion and keeps his affair secret. Royce's wife appears accompanying him to church on the Sunday before the election.

References
[1] "Number 1 reason to watch HBO The Wire - Sen. Clay Davis!" (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=f81Tfw60tTs& mode=related& search=). YouTube. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-13. [2] "Character profile - Mayor Clarence V. Royce" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ clarence_royce. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-15.

Clay Davis

276

Clay Davis
R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis
First appearance "One Arrest" (episode 1.07) Last appearance "Late Editions" (episode 5.09) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Information Gender Occupation Male Maryland State Senator

State Senator R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes. However, throughout the series Davis remains protected by other ranking politicians and Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell. Davis was known for his idiosyncratic profanity, often when confronted with bad news, comically elongating the word "shit" as "sheeeeee-it."[1]

Storylines
These are summaries of events depicted in Davis' career in each season of the television show:

Season 1
When Lt. Cedric Daniels' detail discovers $20,000 of Avon Barksdale's drug money in the car of Davis's driver, they try to expand the wiretap-based investigation to include Davis. Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell calls Daniels into a private meeting with Davis, pressuring him into excluding the senator's alleged involvement. However, Daniels is unwilling to drop the case. Nevertheless, Burell pulls the plug on the investigation, and Clay Davis's involvement is effectively left buried. However, it is mentioned that Davis has a reputation for taking bribes, and has been under federal investigation for the last two years.

Season 2
Davis attends a Democratic Party fundraiser thrown by stevedore union leader Frank Sobotka, accepting contributions in return for assurances that he would vote to construct the granary pier that Sobotka believes will help revitalize the union. After the press reports on criminal activities within the union, Sobotka's lobbyist advises him that none of the politicians -- including Davis, presumably -- will follow through. Davis is later seen at a groundbreaking ceremony for dockside condominiums being built on the site of the proposed granary pier.

Season 3
Davis acts as a consultant for Stringer Bell, taking bribes from the Barksdale Organization while claiming to win state government contracts for the drug empire's legitimate business front, B&B. However, Bell becomes suspicious when he learns that block grants have been given to several city developers instead of B&B. Maurice Levy, Bell's lawyer, concludes that Davis has "rain made" Bell; the senator has played off Stringer's inexperience in legitimate business, taking the money and doing nothing in return. Stringer, furious, tells Slim Charles that he wants him to assassinate Davis, but Barksdale warns him that murdering a public figure will bring too much unwanted attention from the authorities.

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Season 4
Davis acts as Mayor Clarence Royce's deputy campaign chairman, and is a key fundraiser in his re-election campaign. When Detective Leander Sydnor serves a subpoena for Davis's financial records as part of the major crimes unit's ongoing investigation into the Barksdale organization's finances, the senator is outraged. In retaliation, he goes to Royce and threatens to cut off the campaign's funding unless Royce interferes with the subpoenas. The day before the mayoral primary, Davis approaches candidate Tommy Carcetti, offering to hold off on bringing out the vote for Royce in exchange for a $20,000 payment. On Election Day, Davis campaigns for the mayor as if his offer to Carcetti had not taken place. After Carcetti defeats Royce, Davis explains that Royce gave more money, pointing out that he could easily have fleeced Carcetti for even more. Davis strikes a deal with the City Council President Nerese Campbell, offering a $25,000 jump in salary to a replacement commissioner in an attempt to appear as if Carcetti as an ally while believing the amount insufficient to attract any serious candidate. Davis is especially motivated to help Burrell when he learns that the most likely replacement is Daniels, whom he regards as too uncontrollable. Davis opposes Daniels's potential appointment based on his attitude regarding Price. He realizes that Daniels may continue investigations into Davis's alleged money laundering. Davis convinces Campbell and Burrell that Daniels is more interested in serving Mayor Carcetti and is unwilling to be of use to the city's African American community. To keep Daniels from being promoted, Davis agrees with Burrell's plans to present information regarding illegal activities from Daniels's past.[2]

Season 5
Davis becomes a target of prosecution for Baltimore City State's Attorney Rupert Bond following the major crimes unit investigation. Detectives Lester Freamon and Leandor Sydnor are assigned to the State's Attorney's unit to lead the investigation at Bond's behest following the rest of the unit's reassignment.[3][4] Davis approaches Burrell and demands his support against the investigation. Burrell explains that he could not intervene with Carcetti and the new States Attorney. Davis reminds Burrell that he helped to negotiate a pay raise on Burrell's behalf: enough to help Burrell purchase a new patio but not enough to attract a Pittsburgh Deputy Commissioner who was looking to take his post. Burrell explains that he would have to go around Daniels to interfere in the case and that Daniels is loyal to the Mayor; he also reminds Davis that interfering in the investigation would be a criminal act. Davis refuses to accept that Burrell would not return his previous support and accuses Burrell of believing him to be finished in Maryland politics.[5][6] Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman begins a series of grand jury depositions to prepare evidence to prosecute Davis, with one of the key witnesses being Davis' driver, Damien Lavelle "Day Day" Price. Learning that Mayor Carcetti has planned to replace Burrell, Davis offers to use his connections to smooth the transitions in exchange for help with the case. Carcetti refuses.[7][8] Having uncovered evidence that Davis lied on a mortgage application, Freamon and Sydnor suggest taking the case to federal law enforcement. However, Bond elects to ignore the evidence, hoping to gain recognition by prosecuting Davis himself. Called to testify, Davis invokes his Fifth Amendment rights to avoid incriminating himself. Davis confronts a press opportunity staged by Bond on the courthouse steps, turning on the charm and denying any wrongdoing.[9] When called to the stand in his own defense, Davis gives a rousing speech defending his public role, is acquitted, and beams before the assembled cameras and reporters afterward while Bond and Pearlman look on, unable to believe what they have just witnessed. With Bond's case concluded but the mortgage fraud uncharged, Freamon approaches Davis in a bar with the incriminating mortgage paperwork. Not knowing that Freamon has been unable to bring these charges, Davis gives up information about back-room deals involving the city's political elite. In a second conversation, Davis is last seen giving Freamon additional information, as well as boasting about a drug dealer named "Bell" whom he had "bled".

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Production
Origins
Creator David Simon has said that Clay Davis is based on three different politicians in the Maryland State Senate, and that his affectionate use of the word "partner" is based on one of them, saying that everybody in Baltimore knows who this is. In an essay in the official series guide The Wire: Truth Be Told, William Zorzi implies that Davis is patterned on former Maryland State Senator Larry Young.[10]

Mannerisms
The character is well known for his elongation of the word "shit", pronouncing it as "sheee-it". This mannerism originated with Whitlock's uncle, from whom he picked up the habit himself. It was featured in the 2002 film 25th Hour, after Spike Lee encouraged him to use it. When Whitlock received his first script for The Wire it was already written into the part.[11]

References
[1] Plotz, David (September 21, 2007). "Oh, How We've Missed You!" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2174389/ nav/ navoa/ #TheWireHBO). Slate magazine. . Retrieved 2007-09-23. [2] "Character profile - R. Clayton "Clay" Davis" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ clay_davis. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-13. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [10] Rafael Alvarez (2009). The Wire: Truth Be Told - The Complete Official Series Guide. Canongate Books. p.280. [11] http:/ / www. slate. com/ id/ 2181449/ pagenum/ all/

Norman Wilson

279

Norman Wilson
Norman Wilson
First appearance "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Reg E. Cathey Information Gender Occupation Male Carcetti Administrative Aide

Norman Wilson is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Reg E. Cathey. Wilson is a professional political operative and works closely with ambitious politician Tommy Carcetti. The character first appeared in the show's fourth season and Cathey is part of the starring cast for the fourth and fifth seasons.[1]

Biography
Wilson is a professional political operative. He was previously a night editor at The Baltimore Sun and was much loved by his reporters. He has a professional, savvy and honest presence.[2] He grew up in Catonsville, a southwestern Baltimore County suburb of Baltimore.

Season four
Wilson serves as councilman Tommy Carcetti's deputy campaign manager in his run for mayor of Baltimore, under campaign manager Theresa D'Agostino. Wilson is practical minded and organized, essential qualities because he is tasked with keeping Carcetti on a strict schedule. Wilson was once a night editor for the Baltimore Sun and has many connections amongst the city's media. He is an honest voice in Carcetti's campaign and is often the sounding board for Carcetti's worries about race in Baltimore politics, admitting (perhaps jokingly) that he will most likely vote for one of his black opponents. When poll results do not go in Carcetti's favor he loses interest in the campaign believing that it is impossible to win. Wilson is left to keep his candidate on track despite his pessimism. After Carcetti wins the primary and subsequent election, D'Agostino moves on, but Wilson continues to serve as his right hand man, accompanying the newly elected mayor everywhere he goes. At the end of the season, Wilson becomes disillusioned with Carcetti, who puts his own ambition above the needs of the city. He talks with Clarence Royce's former advisor, Coleman Parker, and muses about managing the campaign of another up and coming politician on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.[2]

Season five
Despite his misgivings Wilson remains on Carcetti's staff for the next year and watches the Mayor struggle with the budget crisis while still planning his run for Governor. Carcetti is aware of Wilson's feelings about his decision but still seeks his counsel.[3][4][5][6] When commissioner Ervin Burrell delivers altered crime rate statistics Carcetti seizes his chance to fire him. Carcetti hopes to eventually replace Burrell with Cedric Daniels but worries if Nerese Campbell and the politically influential councilors will accept Daniels. Carcetti instructs Wilson to leak the story to test the waters. Wilson contacts Gus Haynes, a friend from his previous career as a newspaper reporter, and gives him the details along with a photograph of Daniels.[7][8]

Norman Wilson When the truth of the "homeless killer" is revealed, Wilson expresses a forlorn wish that he was still a journalist "so I could report this shit. It's just too good." Eventually, Carcetti wins the gubernatorial election and becomes governor with the machinations of Steintorf, and Norman's future with Carcetti is left ambiguous.

280

Production
The character first appeared in the show's fourth season premiere "Boys of Summer"[9][10] and Cathey is part of the starring cast for the fourth and fifth seasons.[1]

References
[1] "Cast & Crew - Reg E. Cathey as Norman Wilson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ reg_cathey. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [2] "Character profile - Norman Wilson" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ norman_wilson. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [3] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [4] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [5] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [6] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [7] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [8] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [9] David Simon, Ed Burns (2004-09-10). "Boys of Summer". The Wire. episode 01. season 4. HBO. [10] "The Wire episode guide - episode 38 boys of summer" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode01. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-08-09.

281

School
School system of The Wire
The school system of The Wire is a fictional education system in the city of Baltimore depicted in the HBO drama series The Wire. The fourth season of the show introduced an examination of the Baltimore city school system and many new characters including pupils, staff and education board employees.

Administration
Howard "Bunny" Colvin
Colvin was a thirty-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and a district commander before his radical policies caused his forced retirement. He moved into working with potential repeat violent offenders in the school system.

Marcia Donnelly
Played by: Tootsie Duvall Appears in Season 4: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Home Room"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day"; "That's Got His Own" Season 5: "30". Marcia Donnelly is the Assistant Principal of Edward J. Tilghman Middle School. She is an efficient disciplinarian whom the students have learned to obey. A veteran administrator, Mrs. Donnelly has become used to the chaotic environment of the school, but she still feels frustrated with the difficulty of keeping order among the children and retaining teachers from year to year. Donnelly is world-weary to the point where she sees an in-school stabbing victim being HIV-negative as a silver lining. She performs sweeps of the school grounds looking for concealed weapons on a regular basis. Donnelly employs Dennis "Cutty" Wise ostensibly as a custodian to perform the duties of a truant officer. By forcing truants to attend one day in September and another in October, the school secures more funding. Cutty eventually returns to her to resign the post because he expected to be doing something more rewarding. She works with Howard "Bunny" Colvin in setting up an initiative to separate students into two groups to improve discipline. She urges Colvin to protect Principal Withers from the consequences of dividing the students, because he has gone out on a limb to support the initiative. She selects the students for the program with input from her colleague Grace Sampson. Donnelly meets with Bubbles and allows his young assistant Sherrod to enroll in the school. She insists that Sherrod is socially promoted to the eighth grade because of his age. She tells Bubbles that he cannot be allowed to return to the last grade he attended because of the difficulties it would present regarding classroom discipline and funding. She is supportive of impoverished student Duquan "Dukie" Weems and sends clothes home for him via his classmate Crystal Judkins. Donnelly convinces eighth grade student Randy Wagstaff to become an informant against other students by threatening to call his foster mother when he is caught with a fake hall pass. When Randy is later involved as a lookout in a possible rape on school grounds Donnelly is forced to suspend him. He tells her that he knows about a

School system of The Wire murder to try and convince her not to call his foster mother and Donnelly is forced to hand him over to the police department. Donnelly has a relationship based on mutual respect with the Principal, Claudell Withers. He allows her to handle the operational aspects of running the school while he deals more with external interests like the education board and the parents. Donnelly tries to protect the school from being taken over by the state by focusing on improving performance in state assessments. She insists on her teachers sticking to core subjects and is against deviations from the curriculum. She tries to guide trainee teacher Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski into following this strategy.[1]

282

Miss Duquette
Played by: Stacie Davis Appears in Season 4: "Unto Others"; "Corner Boys"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings; "A New Day"; "That's Got His Own"; "Final Grades" Miss Duquette is a Doctoral student who assists Dr. Parenti and Bunny Colvin in teaching the "corner kids" special class. A social sciences and psychology student, she uses several psychological techniques to get the children to describe themselves and how they feel about their roles in life. As a rookie teacher from an educated and non-Baltimore City raised background, she is initially disrespected by many of the students especially the classes' two female students Chandra and Zenobia but she eventually manages to manipulate the children into articulating their problems and talk about how or why they should improve themselves. When school officials decide to pull the plug on the program, she assists Colvin and Parenti in protesting the program's end claiming that the students have actually made progress in the class as human beings. The program is nonetheless shutdown.

David Parenti
Played by: Dan DeLuca Appears in season 4: "Home Room"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error" (uncredited); "Unto Others" and "Final Grades". Dr. David Parenti is a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland with a special interest in repeat violent offenders.[2] He receives a grant from the university for a pilot study aimed at reducing this behavior. He plans to target 18-21 year olds as this is the age group when the behavior is most commonly exhibited. He is known to the West Baltimore church deacon who puts him in touch with retired police officer Howard "Bunny" Colvin. Parenti is interested in meeting Colvin because he is well known around campus for his last action in the police department a program of drug tolerant zones that significantly reduced crime in his district. Colvin takes a salaried position to assist Parenti with his study. Colvin convinces Parenti to target younger age groups by showing him that violent behavior is entrenched in 18-21 year olds through a visit to his old district after introducing him to an 18-year-old criminal who tries to assault him for taking notes. Colvin and Parenti decide to focus on eighth grade middle school children and approach the Edward Tilghman middle school with their program. The principal, Claudell Withers, agrees to let them separate children with behavioral difficulties into their own class where they can be targeted and studied. Parenti also gets approval from the education department on Baltimores North Avenue on the condition that his program does not make any headlines. With the assistance of eighth grade head teacher Grace Sampson and assistant principal Marcia Donnelly he selects a class of ten students. Colvin refers to their target group as "corner kids". They hire a class teacher and assistant to deal with the students. Parenti is fasciniated by the behavior exhibited by his students. When the program is eventually terminated, Colvin's frustration is in stark contrast to Parenti's excitement about the attention the research will receive from academics.[3]

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Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski

Prez is an ex-detective who showed great aptitude for surveillance and wiretap cases but struggled to maintain his composure in the field. He has embarked on a new career as a middle school math teacher.

Grace Sampson
Played by: Dravon James Appears in Season 3: "Dead Soldiers" and "Mission Accomplished". Season 4: "Soft Eyes"; "Home Room"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; Corner Boys"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings and "Final Grades". Sampson is a senior middle school English teacher and is the head teacher for the eighth grade at the Edward Tilghman Middle School. She plays a matriachal role in the school as many of the students view her as a disciplinary motherly type (all the students act correctly when she approaches them). Grace has son named Allen, after the boy's father. She had a relationship with Dennis "Cutty" Wise before he was sentenced to a long prison term. When he was released from prison he tracked Grace down and learned where she was working. She avoids reconnecting with Cutty but offers him help in the form of putting him in touch with her church deacon to help him find work. Cutty visits Grace again when he has established a boxing gym for local kids. She rebuffs his advances again and tells him that she is proud of him. Grace's sister Queenie is a drug addict and is envious of the way her sister has taken control of her life. Grace is feared and respected by her students who know her as Mrs. Sampson. She is able to subdue a classroom quickly and commands the attention of children easily. As head of the eighth grade she encourages her teachers to use simple consistent rules in the classroom to make it easy for the students to comply. She is supportive of new teacher Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski and helps him with discipline problems in his classes when she can. When a student named Chiquan is attacked by a classmate wielding a boxcutter in Pryzbylewski's class it is Grace who steps in and slaps the violent student to disarm her. She comforts the injured girl and asks a responsible student, Crystal Judkins, to phone for an ambulance. Grace works with Howard "Bunny" Colvin to establish separate classes for two groups of eighth graders that he terms "corner kids" and "stoop kids". By separating the problem "corner kids" from classes he hopes that he can address their specific needs and give the other students more time to learn. Grace helps him to identify children who might be considered "corner kids". She suggests Namond Brice. She works alongside Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly to select another nine students for the class. Grace sees Cutty once more when he is working as a custodian bringing truanting children into the school. This time both of them are content to leave their relationship in the past. Actress Dravon James portrays both Grace and her sister Queenie.[4]

Claudell Withers
Played by: Richard Hidlebird Appears in season 4: "Boys of Summer"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings". Withers is the principal of Edward Tilghman Middle School and has held the post for eleven years. He is regarded as something of a renegade. He entrusts much of the operation of the school to Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. Withers goes out on a limb to allow Dr. David Parenti and Howard "Bunny" Colvin to launch a controversial pilot study at his school. Withers holds the education departments administrators in low regard and refers to their headquarters on North Avenue as the "Puzzle Palace".[5]

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Students
Namond Brice
Namond Brice is a tough-talking eighth-grade student who struggles to follow in the footsteps of his father, Wee-Bey.

Aaron "Bug" Manigault

Played by: Keenon Brice Appears in Season four: "Refugees", "Corner Boys", "Know Your Place", "Final Grades" Season five: "More with Less" (uncredited), "Not for Attribution", "React Quotes", "Clarifications" Bug is Michael Lee's younger half-brother. Michael shows concern in taking care of Bug; he helps Bug with schoolwork and has Dukie look after Bug. When Michael gets in trouble with the Stanfield Organization, he leaves Bug with his Aunt in Howard County.

Zenobia Dawson
Played by: Taylor King Appears in season four: "Alliances", "Margin of Error" (uncredited), "Unto Others", "Misgivings", "A New Day" (uncredited), "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Zenobia is a student at Edward Tilghman middle school who often disrupts classes, in particular she is disruptive in Mr. Prezbos math class. She is one of the children selected for the special class by Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. By the end of the season Zenobia is one of the three students that makes the most progress through the "corner boys" class. When she returns to her regular class she is attentive and doesn't cause any disturbances.

Donut
Played by: Nathan Corbett Appears in season four: "Boys of Summer", "Soft Eyes", "Alliances", "Margin of Error", "Unto Others", "Misgivings", "A New Day", "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades". Donut (given name "Tyrell", as evidenced in the season four finale, "Final Grades") is a student at Edward Tilghman Middle School, and was in 6th grade during season 4. He is interested in cars and is an accomplished, compulsive auto thief. He is friends with Namond Brice, Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff. He brings Sergeant Ellis Carver's attention to the group when he is spotted in a stolen Cadillac Escalade. Carver warns the boys that if he ties them to any further auto thefts he will organize alleyway beatings for each of them. Donut remains defiant or perhaps is simply unable to keep quiet with a car in the vicinity, quietly remarking that Carver has a nice car as he walks away. He carries a homemade slim jim that he keeps in his sock. On request, Donut breaks into math teacher Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's car when he locks his keys in it, leaving Prez grateful but rather worried about having a kid at school who is evidently able to break into cars. When Randy is unexpectedly tasked with distributing Carcetti campaign literature on the day of the primary election, Donut steals an SUV to make the job go faster. Once Donut learns that Randy has already been paid upfront, he asks for his share of the "walk-around" money and leaves. Donut works with Namond and their even younger friend Kenard selling drugs around their school hours. Donut's carjacking abilities however get him into trouble with corrupt patrolman Walker who breaks his fingers. Donut is a reckless driver, often speeding, ignoring traffic signs, and occasionally wrecking the cars he steals. In the final scene of the season four finale, as Namond is on the Colvins' porch getting ready for school, Donut drives by in a stolen SUV with the stereo blazing. Donut and Namond share a nod and then Donut speeds away, through a stop sign at the end of the corner, nearly running into another honking driver while Namond is left smiling at the spectacle.

School system of The Wire

285

Crystal Judkins
Played by: Destiny Jackson-Evans Appears in season four: "Soft Eyes", "Home Rooms" (uncredited), "Refugees" (uncredited), "Alliances" (uncredited), "Misgivings" (uncredited). Crystal is a keen student at Edward Tilghman middle school and often helps her teachers outside of school. She works with assistant principal Marcia Donnelly over the summer to prepare the school for the new year. She delivers clothes to her impoverished peer Duquan "Dukie" Weems on Donnellys behalf. She is in Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's math class with Dukie and advises Prez about Dukie's home circumstances. When a girl is wounded in a fight in Prez's classroom Mrs. Sampson sends Crystal to the office to call an ambulance.

Michael Lee
Played by: Tristan Wilds Michael Lee is a soft spoken eighth-grade student who has adult responsibilities.

Albert Stokes
Played by: Jason Wharton Appears in season four: "Home Rooms" (uncredited), "Refugees" (uncredited), "Alliances" (uncredited), "Margin of Error" (uncredited), "Corner Boys", "Know Your Place", "Misgivings" (uncredited), "A New Day" and "Final Grades". Albert is a small, yet boisterous eighth grade student at Edward Tilghman middle school who often uses profane language and disrupts classes. He is one of the children selected for the special class by Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. He shows some improvement in the special class under Howard "Bunny" Colvin. It is revealed that his mother dies on the couch of their home and no one comes for days to get her.

Darnell Tyson
Played by: Davone Cooper Appears in season four: "Home Rooms" (uncredited), "Refugees" (uncredited), "Alliances" (uncredited), "Margin of Error" (uncredited), "Corner Boys", "Know Your Place", "Misgivings", "A New Day" (uncredited), "That's Got His Own". Darnell is a student at Edward Tilghman middle school who has a drinking problem and often disrupts classes. He is one of the children selected for the special class by Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. Darnell is another one of the three students that show real progress through the special class.

Randy Wagstaff
Randy Wagstaff is an enterprising eighth-grade student who is dependent on social services.

Duquan "Dukie" Weems

Duquan "Dukie" Weems is an eighth-grade student who lives in abject poverty.

Karim Williams
Played by: Jeffrey Lorenzo Appears in season four: "Home Rooms" (uncredited), "Refugees" (uncredited), "Alliances" (uncredited), "Margin of Error" (uncredited), "Misgivings" (uncredited), "That's Got His Own" and "Final Grades".

School system of The Wire Karim is a student at Edward Tilghman middle school who hopes to become an NBA basketball player and sports an afro. He is in Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewskis math class with his friends Randy Wagstaff and Namond Brice.

286

References
[1] "Character profile Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ marcia_donnelly. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-10-29. [2] "Character profile UM Professor David Parenti" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ david_parenti. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-10-28. [3] "Episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2008-07-03. [4] "Dravon James Filmography by TV Series" (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ name/ nm2438436/ filmoseries#tt0306414). . Retrieved 2008-07-04. [5] "Character profile Principal Claudell Withers" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ claudell_withers. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-10-29.

Howard "Bunny" Colvin

287

Howard "Bunny" Colvin

Howard Colvin
First appearance Last appearance Created by Portrayed by "Stray Rounds" (episode 2.09)

"Late Editions" (episode 5.09)

David Simon Robert Wisdom Information

Aliases Gender Occupation

Bunny Male Retired; former commander of the Western District in Baltimore Police department; also worked as head of hotel security, and as an Academic aide in University of Maryland's Social Sciences research department Lieutenant, Demoted from Major Lolita (wife) two

Title Spouse(s) Children

Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Robert Wisdom.

Character storyline
Colvin joined the Baltimore Police Department around 1973 (according to Season 3, he had 30 years on) patrolling his home neighborhood in the department's Western District; one of his early posts was at Pensey and Fremont. Over his tenure, he advanced to the rank of District Commander (Major) in the Western District. Colvin's philosophy of policing involved protecting the community he served by making quality arrests through the use of trusted informants on his foot post. As a commander he insisted that his men learn their sense of direction, their foot post, and urged them to focus on doing real police work. Toward the end of his career, he began seeing the war on drugs as an ineffective waste of time and resources in his district that brought about too many unnecessary deaths.

Season two
Colvin was first seen as a Major and commander of the Western district in season two.[1] He attended the scene of the accidental shooting of a child during a drug turf war and was appalled at the senselessness of the killing. When ordered to crack down on the area, his second in command Dennis Mello stated that they waited too long to make the arrests they had while Colvin begins to question what it is they are really doing on their job.

Season three
In season three, Colvin was nearing retirement and decided to make a last effort to have a real impact on the community he had been policing for thirty years. He recognized that much of his time and resources were spent on policing addicts and low level dealers, which never seemed to improve the situation in his district and left little time for "real" police work. All of Baltimore's district Majors were under extreme pressure from the mayor's office to reduce the city's violent crime rate in preparation for the mayoral primary campaign. After Commissioner Ervin Burrell relieved Major Taylor of his post as the Eastern district commander for his poor performance, every other major began "juking" their stats to make crime rates appear to drop. Colvin refused to do this, and his stats honestly

Howard "Bunny" Colvin reflected a 2% rise in felonies. He was quickly berated for this by Deputy Rawls and his command post was threatened by Commissioner Burrell who claimed "I don't care how many years you have on this job, if the felony rates don't fall, you most certainly will." Colvin wondered if there was a way for drugs to be made safe for low-level users to take them without facing punishment; comparing the city's drug problems to the illegal public consumption of alcohol, which was circumvented when people began keeping their beer in a paper bag. After the attempted murder of Officer Dozerman, Colvin finally decided that he would independently set up three "free zones" in his district where addicts and dealers were allowed to conduct their business under supervision but without interference. This would move the drug trade into a controlled, uninhabited area to protect the rest of his district. Colvin did not seek the permission or approval of any of his superiors before implementing his plan, and ignored the concerns of his subordinates Lieutenant Dennis Mello and DEU Sergeant Ellis Carver, who were charged by Colvin with ensuring no violence took place within the "free zones." One of these areas became known as "Hamsterdam", after Amsterdam's liberal drug laws. Because his retirement was imminent and he was guaranteed a major's pension, Colvin believed he would be free from any consequences should his plan be discovered. Although his project initially drew suspicion from the district's dealers, he convinced them to move their trade by brutally cracking down on any drug dealing outside of one of the free zones. Colvin was concerned when he found a single retiree still living in one of the houses in Hamsterdam. He had to beg Colonel Foerster to have the old woman relocated to new housing, lying to both her and the Colonel about the reasons why. As a commanding officer, Colvin was well liked by his men. Colvin had a significant impact on Ellis Carver, convincing him to reassess his role as DEU sergeant and to take a more community-minded approach to policing. Colvin also reconnected with Jimmy McNulty, who had started out as a beat officer under his command. Colvin's last piece of detective work involved McNulty's major case unit Stringer Bell contacted Colvin to inform against his partner Avon Barksdale and Colvin passed the information on to McNulty. In Colvin, Bell had seen a fellow reformer who felt his superiors were preventing useful work from being done. As Bell puts it, they are "both trying to make sense of this game," though from opposite sides of the law. Colvin was forced to take his vacation time immediately after revealing his experiment to the department's upper command. The city's politicians considered trying to spin Hamsterdam as a public health measure but eventually decided it was too dangerous. With the free zones now public knowledge, Commissioner Burrell offered Colvin to the mayor as a scapegoat. Commissioner Burrell and Deputy Rawls threatened to persecute his officers whenever they could for whatever reason they could if he did not leave the department at a lower rank, with a reduced pension. To protect his men, Colvin grudgingly accepted. Burrell made things even worse for Colvin, having contacted Johns Hopkins University which had agreed to hire him as their deputy commander of campus security upon his retirement. Burrell personally informed them of his actions involved with "Hamsterdam" and they withdrew Colvin's job offer.[2]

288

Season four
As season four began, Colvin was supplementing his (diminished) pension by working as head of security for a downtown hotel. Colvin became disillusioned with the post when the hotel manager refused to let him arrest a wealthy client who had savagely beaten a prostitute in his hotel room. He left the job soon afterwards. Colvin was approached with another job by his friend, The Deacon. The deacon had learned of a large grant to the University of Maryland School of Social Work to look at repeat violent offenders. The study was led by Dr. David Parenti. Colvin's reputation among academics as the man who attempted to legalize drugs in Western Baltimore secured him a job offer as a field researcher. Parenti initially planned to focus on 18-to-21-year-olds, but Colvin sensed that they would have to look at a younger group to effect any change. He convinced Parenti to look at Edward Tilghman Middle School for his target group.

Howard "Bunny" Colvin Colvin identified for Parenti the two types of West Baltimore students: "stoop" kids, the kids who obey their parents' instructions to stay on the stoop or front steps of their house, go to school, and are respectful of authority; and "corner" kids, the kids who sell drugs on the corner, disrupt class, and are aspiring gangsters disrespectful of authority. Together, they isolated ten corner kids into a classroom where Parenti and UM doctoral student Miss Duquette studied them while Colvin acted as the mediator. In this classroom, the students were not allowed to be suspended, a punishment the students often utilized to get out of class intentionally. Colvin began to take an interest in Namond Brice, one of the most disruptive students. He allowed Namond to stay at his home when Carver arrests Namond for selling drugs, and his mother was out of town. Colvin took him home the next day and sees first hand that his mother is pushing him into drug dealing. After seeing how Namond has progressed in school, Colvin sees Namond's potential. He realizes that Namond was never fit for the corners and will only end up being killed or in jail if he remains in his current household. Colvin then talks with Wee-Bey Brice, Namond's incarcerated father, claiming that Namond can have a life outside of West Baltimore given the proper support from Colvin and his wife. After thinking it over, Wee-Bey tells Namond's mother to send him to live with Colvin as he wants him to have a future. Namond is seen to be living with Colvin and his wife at the conclusion of season four.[3]

289

Season five
Colvin appears briefly, late in the season ("Late Editions") with a gray and white goatee, attending Namond's high school competitive debate. He appears displeased when Mayor Carcetti appears, visiting the event only to burnish his political image. Outside the debate, Carcetti approaches Colvin and apologizes for being unable to support his unorthodox teaching program from the fourth season. Colvin refuses to shake Carcetti's extended hand, and says nothing about his education plans which were similarly ignored by Carcetti's city hall in the fourth season.

References
[1] Dan Kois (2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire"" (http:/ / dir. salon. com/ story/ ent/ feature/ 2004/ 10/ 01/ the_wire/ index. html?pn=4). Salon.com. . Retrieved 2006-07-12. [2] "Org Chart - The Law" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ orgchart/ law. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-07-22. [3] "Character profile - Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ bunny_colvin. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-09-14.

Michael Lee

290

Michael Lee
Michael Lee
First appearance "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Tristan Wilds Information Aliases Gender Occupation Family Mike Male Drug Dealer, Soldier for the Stanfield Organization Bug (half-brother), Raylene (mother)

Michael Lee is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Tristan Wilds. He is a middle school pupil and is friends with Namond Brice, Randy Wagstaff and Duquan "Dukie" Weems. He is more soft-spoken than his friends, and appears to have a leadership role among his peers. Michael is very protective of his younger half-brother Bug, to whom he is effectively a parent, and Dukie, who is often ridiculed by his peers for his poverty. His mother Raylene is a drug addict and he avoids any adult interest in his home life because of the precarious nature of his situation. It is strongly implied that he was sexually abused by Bug's father. Because of this, Michael has little trust in the adults in his life and, rather than trust or confide in any of the law-abiding men who try to mentor him, becomes a protege of Marlo Stanfield's enforcer Chris Partlow.

Biography
Season 4
Michael is interested in boxing and often works out in a local gym. He distrusts authority figures; he rebuffed both Dennis "Cutty" Wise's offer to train him in boxing and Marlo Stanfield's offer of a cash handout with no apparent strings attached. He tells his friends that he is reluctant to feel like he owes anyone. Regardless, Stanfield is impressed with Michael's strength of character in denying a handout, not budging even after Stanfield personally confronts and insults him. In order to provide new school supplies for himself and his brother, he temporarily took over Namond's job as a runner for drug dealer Bodie Broadus. Bodie took a strong interest in him and offered to employ him permanently, but Michael turned him down. Cutty continues to encourage Michael to take an interest in boxing and even takes him to a professional fight. Michael avoids conversation and physical contact with Cutty and refuses a lift to his house after the fight. Marlo orders Chris Partlow to find out more about him. Chris approaches Michael and offers him cash and protection to join the organization. Michael turns down the offer, claiming that he must look out for his family first. Michael also turns down Randy to work delivering fliers on election day. He also refuses to work with Namond selling drugs. Michael gets into trouble with his math teacher Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski because he will not do his homework or participate in classroom exercises. Prez gives him detention, which Michael skips in order to pick up Bug from his own school. Prez learns from Randy why Michael did not attend and approaches him directly with an appeal to discuss any problems he might have. Michael begins to work harder in the class and is a quick study when Prez uses games of cards and dice to teach probability. He also completes his homework.

Michael Lee Michael continues to be wary of Cutty when using the boxing gym. He attends a professional fight with Cutty and Justin but refuses to let Cutty drive him home after Justin is dropped off. He is suspicious of Cutty's motives because he tends to get involved with the mothers of boys who use the gym. Cutty continues to try to break down Michael's defenses but Michael remains suspicious of him, later hinting to his friends that he suspects that Cutty is a pederast (which isn't true). This could be because of trust issues Michael has with adult men stemming from his treatment by Bug's father. When Namond is attacked by rival drug dealers, Michael is there to support his friend. However, when Cutty asks Michael what Namond is getting into, Michael tells him it is none of their business. Later, at Cutty's gym, Michael beats Namond for teasing Dukie, and runs out. Cutty tells him to never return, but later feels guilty about it. When Cutty decides to apologize and meets up later with Michael, standing on a street corner with other members of Marlo's crew, Michael initially rebuffs him. Monk shoots Cutty twice in the leg for not leaving Michael alone. Feeling sorry, Michael stops Monk from delivering a third and fatal shot, then offers to wait until the ambulance comes. Cutty tells Michael to go with the people who injured him, apparently accepting that Michael is now a lost cause. Over the show's fourth season, Michael evolves from soft-spoken introvert to a cold-blooded killer. When Bug's father is paroled and returns to their home, Michael becomes desperate to get rid of the man. While not stated explicitly, it can be assumed from Michael's reactions that Bug's father sexually abused Michael before going to prison . This is hinted by Michael's distrust in adult males and the rather negative attitude he displays when subjects involving sexuality are brought up. It is also made more clear in Season 5, episode 7, "Took": while reviewing the case files of the bodies in the vacants, Bunk comes across Devar's profile and says, "Look at you, you baby-bumping motherfucker." The abuse is further hinted at later in the same episode while Bunk is interviewing Michael and says, "Look at you...not even blinking. Not that I blame you, after what this heinous motherfucker did to you." He asks Randy what would happen if he were to call social services on his stepfather, and Randy, speaking from experience, says that Michael and Bug would be split up and would both be placed in group homes. Out of options, Michael turns to Marlo and Chris for help. Chris murders Bug's father, Devar, after asking if he likes to "fuck little boys" and telling him that he knows why he is going to be killed. Chris deviates from his normal style of killing by savagely beating him. Marlo provides Michael and Bug with their own apartment. In return, Michael becomes a drug dealer and soldier in Marlo's operation. Marlo jokingly refers to Michael as Chris' "pup" when Michael is not around. Trained by Chris and Snoop, he commits his first killing with a gunshot to the victim's forehead as Chris and Monk watch. While he has moved on to a new life within the drug trade, he nonetheless offers "Dukie" a place to live, although with the apparent price of enlisting Dukie into Marlo's crew.[1]

291

Season 5
Michael continues to work with the Stanfield Organization more than a year later and still reports to Chris Partlow. His crew has changed somewhat and while Duquan "Dukie" Weems and Kenard remain. He also now has Spider and a young dealer named Marcus working for him. The other dealers do not respect Dukie and do not respond to him. Michael decides to withdraw Dukie and pay him to look after Bug instead. He promotes Spider to act as his second.[2][3] Partlow continues to train Michael as an enforcer. Michael is brought along to kill Junebug after Marlo Stanfield hears that Junebug has been questioning his sexuality. They arrive over an hour early to do the hit, as Chris tells Michael to arrive early for a murder to scope out the scene and make sure there are no surprises. Michael questions the necessity of the murder since the rumors are unfounded and have not been proved to originate with Junebug. However, Snoop angrily rebukes Michael. Partlow orders Michael to watch the back of the house and kill anyone who tries to escape while Partlow and Snoop enter from the front. Once inside the older enforcers kill three adults but a child runs out of the house. Michael cannot bring himself to shoot the boy.[4][5] Following his involvement in the Junebug triple homicide Michael becomes socially withdrawn. Dukie convinces Michael to take a day trip to Six Flags with him and Bug. The two enjoy their day but when they return Monk

Michael Lee confronts Michael about leaving his corner unattended.[6][7] Michael and his crew are arrested by Officer Anthony Colicchio but no charges are filed. Raylene signs Michael out of jail and chastises him for not bringing Bug to see her more often. She asks Michael for money but he refuses to pay her to act as his mother.[8] Bunk Moreland questions Michael about the murder of his stepfather, saying he doesn't blame Michael for having him killed because of the sexual abuse he suffered, but knows that Michael lacked the size and strength to do a brutal murder like that himself and asks who did the murder. Michael refuses to tell him anything. Along with Chris, Snoop, and O-dog, he participated in the botched ambush on Omar Little in Monk's apartment. He was frightened when Omar approached him on sending a message to Stanfield, fearing that he might recognize him from the apartment that night. With Omar in the streets terrorizing Marlo's corners, and Marlo doing little in response, Michael begins to question his boss' fierce reputation. This begins to cause a rift between him and the higher ups in the organization. When Marlo, Chris, Cheese and Monk are all arrested due to the investigation, Monk suspects Michael of being an informant. Although neither Marlo or Chris believe Michael to be a snitch, Marlo reluctantly orders Snoop to kill him, not wanting to take the risk of leaving Michael on the streets. Snoop attempts to set Michael up, by telling him a local drug dealer is responsible for the bust. Suspicious, Michael follows Snoop and discovers that it is indeed a set-up. Before Snoop has the chance to kill Michael, he draws his gun on her, and tells her he figured out the plot by following Chris's earlier advice to show up to a job early. He asks what has he done to be killed. Snoop replies that they think he's been talking to the police. Michael denies the claim, but Snoop tells him that he's too isolated and asks too many questions to ever be considered a true member of their crew. Michael shoots her in the head and leaves Snoop in the car dead. Michael rushes home, and in a panic, tells Duquan and Bug to pack their things. On the run from Marlo's crew, the three are forced to split up. Michael leaves a tearful Bug at his aunt's house in the suburbs. Duquan chooses to stay with the junk man he has been working for. Michael bids farewell to his friend and drives off, and goes into hiding. Michael eventually returns as a stick-up artist, and with a partner robs Vinson in his rim shop, shooting him in the knee with a shotgun. His actions parallel those of Omar Little.

292

References
[1] "Character profile - Michael Lee" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ michael_lee. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-16. [2] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Duquan "Dukie" Weems

293

Duquan "Dukie" Weems

Duquan Weems
First appearance "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Jermaine Crawford Information Aliases Gender Dukie Male

Duquan "Dukie" Weems is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Jermaine Crawford. Dukie is a pupil at the Edward Tilghman Middle School. His home life is chaotic because all the adults in his home are alcoholics or drug addicts. He lives in rank poverty, as his peers tease him for his body odor and his clothes. Anything that Dukie brings into his home is sold by his family for drug money. He relies heavily on his friends Namond Brice, Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff for emotional and sometimes financial support, despite Namond's tendency to bully him. Michael remains loyal to Dukie, giving him both work and residency at the end of the fourth season.

Biography
Season 4
Dukie faces bullying and beatings from a rival gang of boys, from whom his friends fiercely protect him. Following Dukie receiving a beating, his friends plan a retaliation. Dukie takes part but the plan backfires and some of his friends are caught and beaten. Namond rewards his efforts with an ice cream at Michael's urging. The assistant principal at Dukie's middle school, Marcia Donnelly, provides him with second-hand school supplies. She has one of his peers, Crystal, deliver it to him at home but is careful to instruct her to give it directly to Dukie to be sure that it reaches him. When the school year begins, Dukie walks to school with his eighth grade classmates Randy, Michael and Namond. Rather than them calling for him he waits for them and then joins them. Randy gives Dukie his packed lunches to eat. De'Londa Brice refuses to let Dukie into her home when the boys visit Namond. Outside school Dukie finds a discarded electric fan and he spends his free time on the first day of school repairing it. He is teased by his classmates for his lack of personal hygiene. In particular, a girl named Chiquan refuses to sit next to him in Mr. Pryzbylewski's math class. Chiquan is attacked with a boxcutter by a female classmate whom she bullied earlier in the season. The girl injures Chiquan and is then disarmed by Mrs. Sampson. Dukie approaches the disarmed girl as she sits on the floor in a state of shock. He gives her his repaired electric fan. Dukie helps to convince Randy that Stanfield soldier Chris Partlow is a murderer rather than a supernatural force. He tells Randy he witnessed Chris kill someone in a vacant building but asks him to keep it a secret. He shows Randy and Michael a body interred in a vacant house as proof. Prez tries to help Dukie by giving him food at lunchtime and providing him with new clothes. The clothes are soon taken by Dukie's family to be sold for drugs and booze. Prez later gives Dukie another set of clothes, which are to be kept in a gym locker at school. He offers to let Dukie inside the gym early to wash up in the morning and to take his clothes home to clean in the evening. Dukie becomes close to his teacher and helps him to unearth a computer from

Duquan "Dukie" Weems storage at the school which he later uses for a special class project. Dukie begins to enjoy the class and becomes one of the more competent students, as well as learning a variety of skills on the computer.[1] Before the end of the school year, Duquan's improved performance gets him promoted to the ninth grade, much to his dismay. He is promoted, according to Ms. Donnelly, to "be with his peers." Although it's clear Duquan is not socially ready to enter the ninth grade, the school looks at it as a way to "juke stats" which makes it look like their students are showing better progress and advancement in their skills than they really are. Duquan bids farewell to Prez, who tells Duquan to visit him at school whenever he can. Duquan goes to his house one night with Michael and sees an eviction notice on the door. With Duquan's family being evicted and no place to live, Michael offers Duquan to stay at his new residence which was provided by Marlo. Duquan accepts. Michael further shows his loyalty as a friend to Dukie by beating down Namond after Namond makes fun of him for a last time in Cutty's gymnasium. In the season finale Duquan makes an attempt at going to his new school but, without the presence and support of his friends, he can't bring himself to go to class. Later he pays a visit to Prez at school without his backpack, wearing brand-new clothes, and bearing a gift for Prez. Suspicious of this, Prez follows Duquan, only to find out he's now dropped out of school and is on the corner selling drugs as part of his friend Michael's crew.[2][3]

294

Season 5
Duquan fails to win the respect of Michael's drug dealing crew including Spider and Kenard. When the drug dealers won't communicate with Dukie, Michael decides to take him off the corner and pay him to look after Bug. Dukie is worried about the emasculating effect of the decision and concerned over how he will spend his time but accepts Michael's recommendation.[4][5] Following his involvement as a lookout in a triple homicide Michael becomes socially withdrawn. Dukie convinces Michael to take a day trip to Six Flags with him and Bug. The two enjoy their day but when they return Monk confronts Michael about leaving his corner unattended.[6][7] After being taunted by Kenard and beaten up by Spider, Dukie tries to get Michael to teach him to shoot, and approaches Dennis "Cutty" Wise for training in self-defense. Dukie tries to find work at a shoe store but the salesman, Poot Carr, tells him that he can not apply until he is 17. When Michael is forced to go on the run from Marlo's crew, Dukie goes to stay with the heroin-addicted arabber who offered him work. Duquan pays a visit to his former teacher, Mr. Pryzbylewski, asking him for a loan in order to get back in school and get his GED. Prez is immediately suspicious of this, but gives Duquan the money anyway. When Pryzbylewski drops him off after giving him the money he sees that, as he expected, he has in fact been hustled by Duquan, who returns to the arabber with the money in hand. Pryzbylewski drives off as Duquan and the arabber go off to buy drugs. In the ending montage, Dukie is shown shooting heroin with the arabber. His actions parallel those of Bubbles.

References
[1] "Character profile - Duquan "Dukie" Weems" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ duquan_dukie_weems. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-16. [2] Ernest Dickerson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2004-12-10). "Final Grades". The Wire. episode 13. season 4. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 50 Final Grades" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season4/ episode50. shtml). HBO. 2006. . Retrieved 2007-10-17. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22.

Namond Brice

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Namond Brice
Namond Brice
First appearance "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) Last appearance "Late Editions" (episode 5.09) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Julito McCullum Information Aliases Gender Occupation "Nay" Male Student Former drug dealer Wee-Bey Brice (father) De'Londa Brice (mother) Howard "Bunny" Colvin (legal guardian) Lolita Colvin (legal guardian)

Family

Namond Brice ( /nemnd/ NAY-mnd) is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Julito McCullum. Namond is the son of Wee-Bey Brice and De'Londa Brice and was a middle school pupil during season 4.[1] He is friends with Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff and often bullies Duquan "Dukie" Weems. Namond lives with his mother and the two are well looked after by money from the Barksdale drug dealing organization that his father was a part of. Wee-Bey is serving consecutive life sentences for multiple homicides committed on behalf of the Barksdales, having even confessed to crimes he did not commit. Grateful because Wee-Bey shielded the rest of the organization by taking the prison sentence on himself, the Barksdales provide for Namond and De'Londa. Even after the organization is shattered by the incarceration of Avon Barksdale, his sister Brianna Barksdale continues to pay them. This steady income means that Namond is much better off than his peers.

Character storyline
Season 4
Namond often accompanies Michael to a community gym run by Dennis "Cutty" Wise but does not usually box himself. Namond works for onetime Barksdale lieutenant Bodie Broadus as a drug runner. Bodie gave Namond the job out of respect for Wee-Bey who he worked with before his arrest and is careful to remind Namond of this fact. He is clearly not interested in this line of work and often reads while working and is seen leaving early to catch pigeons with his friends. He becomes impatient with Randy while waiting to catch a potential homing pigeon but is quieted when Michael tells him his voice may be scaring away the birds. Namond is enraged when Dukie scares the birds away by smashing a bottle nearby. He taunts Dukie until he attacks him and Michael breaks up the fight. When Dukie is beaten up by a rival gang Namond expresses a desire for revenge. He suggests using guns but Randy has the idea of an ambush using water balloons filled with urine. The plan backfires on Namond who bursts his balloon on himself. The terrace boys chase after Namond and his friends. While Michael is caught and receives a beating, Namond hides nearby and watches. Namond later buys ice cream for all of his friends, even including Dukie at Michael's urging.

Namond Brice Namond and De'Londa visit Wee-Bey regularly at the prison. Wee-Bey relies on them to take care of his beloved pet fish and Namond follows his father's instructions. Wee-Bey is glad that Namond is working with Bodie and gives him advice on succeeding as a drug dealer including getting a less distinctive haircut. De'Londa is unimpressed with Namond's attitude towards his work and threatens to withhold money for new clothes until he applies himself. Namond swaps the job with Michael so that his friend can make money for a time, irritating Bodie who points out that his corner is not "social services". Despite her threats and Namond giving up his job De'Londa buys him new clothes for school. When school begins, Namond proves to be disruptive in class and to have a general disregard for school rules. He quickly runs afoul of Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly for wearing non-uniform clothing. He is in Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's math class along with Michael, Dukie and his friend Kareem Williams. Also in the class are Chiquan, Laetitia and Zenobia. Namond often disrupts the class and eventually gets suspended for three days because of his actions. He apologizes to Prez of his own volition afterwards. Namond keeps a knife hidden in a bush at school, but this is confiscated by Donnelly on a random sweep. De'Londa takes Namond to visit his father during his suspension. Wee-Bey continues to take more interest in the street than Namond's school. While he admires Namond's attitude, Wee-Bey cautions his son on the increasingly savage and two-faced nature of the drug trade as symbolized by Marlo Stanfield's organization. Namond and De'Londa suffer a major change in circumstances when Brianna decides to cut them off. De'Londa is outraged but powerless to argue. Brianna tells Namond that she wanted them both to be there so that DeLonda could not lie to him about what happened. De'Londa sets Namond up dealing narcotics to support them. She still refuses to let him drop out of school. She insists that she will convince Bodie to give him a package. Namond asks about what Brianna meant about them already having enough money and De'Londa tells him that Brianna was lying. She visits Bodie and convinces him to give Namond a package to work, threatening to tell Wee-Bey with the suggestion that he might arrange something unpleasant for Bodie if he refuses. When Namond returns to school he is placed in a special class under Howard "Bunny" Colvin. He acts out to try to get out early to begin selling his package but learns that in his new class there will be no further suspensions. He also is unable to faze Colvin as Colvin is a former Western district police commander who has himself grown up in West Baltimore. Because of this, Colvin is not as scared as the academic types in the classroom as he has dealt with many people much worse than Namond during his 30 year tenure with the Baltimore Police Department. Namond recruits Donut, Little Kenard and Byron to help him move the package he has been given. Despite his best efforts he cannot convince Michael to get involved. Namond is driven away from his first choice of territory by a rival crew. Another young dealer called Sherrod attacks him as he leaves Cutty's gym to warn him off. Cutty breaks up the fight rescuing Namond from a beating. His young dealers are not impressed with his second choice of territory and their trade slows down. Namond begins to enjoy the Special Class when the teacher gives him a chance to talk about his ambitions and his views on what makes a successful "corner boy." Namond says he believes that he will be dead in ten years time but still claims to have the ambition of becoming a kingpin in the drug trade. He also reveals something of a motive for his disruptive behaviour when he tells the class that he does not believe he should obey the rules when there are so many examples of others profiting from wrongdoing - he states steroids, liquor, cigarettes and Enron as examples. Namond's shrewd descriptions of life on the corner in the classroom do not translate into success in his business. He fails to move the package as fast as his mother is expecting and upsets her by transferring the narcotics into vials in their home. She tells him to recruit a lieutenant to handle that aspect of the business and visits Bodie once more to demand better territory for Namond. Namond makes Kenard his lieutenant and entrusts him with the package. Namond seems to not have inherited his father's stomach for the violence inherent in drug dealing. Namond talks and acts tough around his friends to enhance his corner boy image, but they all eventually see through his charade. This reaches a pivotal point when, after Kenard steals Namond's package, Namond berates Dukie verbally, resulting in

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Namond Brice Michael, already growing into a ruthless hitter under Chris' tutelage, slapping Namond three times and pushing him into a wall. Namond breaks down in tears, saying his friend "ain't Mike" any more and as Sergeant Ellis Carver tries to explain the situation over the phone to his mother, she assumes the police are calling about a charge and instructs him to throw him into "baby booking" to teach him a lesson, hanging up before Carver can explain that Namond has done nothing wrong. De'londa then throws Namond out and thus gains the attention of Howard Colvin. Colvin then talks Wee-Bey into letting him adopt Namond so he can have a better chance of life than out there on the streets. Namond's father agrees and tells De'Londa to give up the boy even though she still wants him to become a drug dealer. She is given no choice but to give in, as everything good she has is due to Wee-Bey's place in the Barksdale organizationand Wee-Bey makes it clear she will be cut off if she doesn't get out of the way. Colvin and his wife Lolita ultimately become Namond's legal guardians.[2] Namond's fate parallels that of D'Angelo Barksdale, in that both have domineering mothers who force their sons into the drug game. Namond, however, avoids D'Angelo's end by being adopted by Colvin.

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Season 5
A year later, Namond is excelling academically, participating in a citywide school debate, as the Colvins look on with pride. He has apparently escaped the dangerous streets of West Baltimore, unlike Michael, Duquan and Randy.

Critical response
Entertainment Weekly named Namond one of the five most interesting characters in season four.[3]

References
[1] "Back To School The Wire's Fourth Season Is For the Children" (http:/ / www. citypaper. com/ news/ printready. asp?id=12201). Baltimore City Paper. 2006. . Retrieved 2006-08-30. [2] "Character profile - Namond Brice" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ namond_brice. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-16. [3] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27.

Randy Wagstaff

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Randy Wagstaff
Randy Wagstaff
First appearance "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) Last appearance "The Dickensian Aspect" (episode 5.06) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Maestro Harrell Information Gender Family Relatives Male Cheese Wagstaff (father) Proposition Joe (great-uncle)

Randy Wagstaff is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Maestro Harrell. Randy is an enterprising student who is dependent on social services. During season 4, he was an 8th grade pupil at Edward Tilghman Middle School and is friends with Namond Brice, Michael Lee and Duquan "Dukie" Weems. He had been living with a foster mother, Miss Anna, who instilled some discipline in his life, until her house was firebombed, forcing Randy into a group home. He is well known amongst his peers for his imagination and ideas. Randy runs a small business selling snacks and drinks to his peers and neighborhood drug dealers. He shares his last name with drug lieutenant Cheese Wagstaff. Though the relationship was never established on the show, creator David Simon revealed Cheese to be Randy's biological father -- which would also make Proposition Joe Randy's great uncle.[1]

Character storyline
Season 4
In a dispute with a rival gang of children Randy came up with the idea of filling water balloons with urine and ambushing the other gang. The plan backfired somewhat when Namond burst a balloon on himself but Randy escaped unscathed. He also attempts to make money by catching homing pigeons to sell to drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield for his pigeon coop. Randy was naively involved in the murder of local drug dealer Lex. Lex's colleague Lil Kevin paid Randy to give Lex a message that would lead him into a trap set by Stanfield soldier Chris Partlow. Lil Kevin later told Randy of Lex's fate and gave him more money. Randy was troubled by his involvement. Randy receives money from Stanfield drug dealer Monk Metcalf as part of an effort by Marlo Stanfield to ingratiate himself to neighborhood kids. Randy loses the money to Western district officer Eddie Walker when he is chased away from a car stolen by his friend Donut. Walker refuses to believe Randy's story that the money is from his foster mother and pockets it, telling Randy his mother can come to the district headquarters to reclaim it. When the school year begins Randy ingratiates himself to his home room teacher Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski with a hand shake and assists in controlling the class. When Prez is distracted Randy asks permission for a hall pass and then takes several passes from Prez's desk. He uses the hall passes to get around the school selling candy and snacks to the other students. To reach the other grades Randy wears layers of clothing so that he can don the appropriate color uniform for the grade he is selling to. Randy's scheme gets him into trouble when he is caught in the sixth grade cafeteria by Miss Reese, who recognizes him from her class two years ago. He is sent to Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly's office. She threatens to tell his foster mother about his actions unless he gives her information about who has been graffitiing school property.

Randy Wagstaff Randy complies with her demands. He continues to cut class to sell snacks. He is enlisted by another student to act as a lookout while he has a tryst in a bathroom. Randy is reluctant to get involved but does so anyway. Lex's murder continues to trouble Randy. He discusses Chris Partlow's activities with his friends who tell him that Chris is a zombie master. Randy believes his friends and begins to fear that Chris will come after him. When Chris visits Michael on another issue Randy assumes he has come to ask about him. His friends tease him about his fears. Randy talks to Dukie about his worries and Dukie tells him that Chris is a murderer. He shows Randy a dead body Chris has hidden in a vacant building to convince him. Despite his promise to Dukie not to share the secret, Randy offers his knowledge of the murder to Mrs. Donnelly after she discovers his role in the bathroom incident; the girl involved claimed to have been raped. Randy is suspended from school for acting as a lookout in the bathroom incident. Donnelly also puts him in touch with the police. Prez intervenes and approaches Cedric Daniels to protect Randy from the system. Daniels puts Randy in the care of Sergeant Ellis Carver. Carver interviews Randy to find out what he knows and then returns him to his foster mother, reassuring her that Randy is not a bad kid. Suspended Randy then accompanies Miss Anna to the polling station on election day. While he waits for her he picks up a days work delivering campaign material. He recruits Dukie, Donut and Little Kenard to help him. Donut steals a car so that they can travel around more easily despite Randy's hesitation. Randy loses his workers when they learn that he was paid up front and decide to take their share of the money without completing the job. Randy carries on the work alone. Carver turns Randy over to his old partner Thomas "Herc" Hauk because he is desperate for information about the Stanfield organization. Herc misjudges Randy and believes he is lying about not actually seeing Lex's murder. He pressures Randy to admit that he was there with little success. Herc believes that Randy is useless and allows him to return home. Later, while interviewing Little Kevin, Herc lets slip that he learned about Lex's murder from Randy. Tiff eventually drops the rape allegation and Randy's suspension is lifted. He returns to school to find his math class transformed - Prez is teaching the class probability through dice and card games and a new computer has been set up. His friend Michael is suspicious of his time away from school and subtly warns Randy against getting involved as an informant for either the police or the teachers.[2] From Little Kevin, the conversation between the police and Randy soon leaks out to the streets and Marlo's crew. Although the penalty for informing to police is usually death, Marlo declines to order a hit on the grounds that Randy poses no further threat to him. Instead, he instructs Chris and Snoop to spread the word that Randy has been speaking to the police and he is labeled as a snitch in the streets. Randy is walking with Michael and Duquan when he is confronted at school by a group of students who want to fight him for being a snitch. Although Michael protects Randy and fights the kids off, Randy is beaten badly. Word soon gets back to Carver that Randy is in trouble around school and in his neighborhood and puts a police car on lookout at Randy's house promising Randy that he's going to take care of everything. People looking to hurt Randy notice the car and make a false police call from a nearby telephone booth to get them to leave the scene. With the cops gone, molotov cocktails are thrown into the house - burning it down, hospitalizing Miss Anna, and leaving Randy without a guardian. Carver tries his hardest to help Randy find another foster parent but to no avail. He even offers to adopt Randy himself, but is turned down. Randy ends up going back to a group home. There Randy still hasn't escaped his "snitch" title and ends up getting into fights with the other older, hostile kids in the home.

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Randy Wagstaff

300

Season 5
A year later, Bunk revisits the Lex murder and attempts to question Randy. Randy (noticeably taller and muscular), having lost his childlike innocence, is unresponsive to Bunk and storms off pushing another kid in the group home down for being in his way. Clearly, Prez's fear of Randy "being chewed up by the system" is realized. His actions will more than likely will parallel those of Preston "Bodie" Broadus.

Critical response
Entertainment Weekly named the character one of the five most interesting characters in season four.[3]

References
[1] " 'The Wire': David Simon schools USC (http:/ / latimesblogs. latimes. com/ showtracker/ 2008/ 03/ the-wire-david. html)." The Los Angeles Times [2] "Character profile - Randy Wagstaff" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ randy_wagstaff. shtml). HBO. 2004. . Retrieved 2006-09-16. [3] Neil Drumming (2006-09-15). "High Wire Act" (http:/ / www. ew. com/ ew/ article/ 0,,1535094,00. html). Entertainment Weekly. . Retrieved 2006-09-27.

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Journalists
Journalists of The Wire
The Wire is a fictional television drama series produced by the Home Box Office network. The fifth season of the show included a focus on the media and in particular a fictionalized version of The Baltimore Sun. The series introduced many new characters who were professional journalists.

Editorial staff
Rebecca Corbett
Played by: Kara Quick Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Not for Attribution" (uncredited), "Took", and "30." Rebecca Corbett is the paper's Regional Affairs Desk Editor.[1] She is named after real-life former Baltimore Sun editor Rebecca Corbett.[2]

Augustus Haynes
Augustus Haynes is the city desk editor for the paper and is a principled but unrefined presence in the newsroom. Haynes is played by Clark Johnson.[3]

James Whiting
Played by: Sam Freed Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Not for Attribution", "Transitions", "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", "Late Editions", and "30." James Whiting is the paper's executive editor and is responsible for guiding the paper's reporting. He has ambitions of winning a Pulitzer prize for his paper and his fascination with the "Dickensian aspect" of stories leaves him often out-of-touch with the problems facing the city.[4] His managing editor is a colleague from their days working in Philadelphia, Thomas Klebanow. Klebanow handles the day to day running of the paper and the handling of cutbacks from the paper's owners.[5] He is interested in pursuing stories that stir emotion in the reader over those that examine the context and roots of social problems facing the city. Whiting values his network of connections in the industry, and used his authority to prevent the paper from publishing a negative story about shortfalls in racial integration at the University of Maryland to protect his old friend Gene Robbins, the dean of journalism.[6] Whiting is based on former Baltimore Sun editor John Carroll.[7]

Journalists of The Wire

302

Thomas Klebanow
Played by: David Costabile Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Not for Attribution", "Transitions", "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", "Clarifications", and "30." Thomas Klebanow is the paper's managing editor and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the paper. Klebanow is renowned for hiring young female reporters with questionable writing skills. He worked with executive editor James Whiting at The Philadelphia Inquirer and followed him to The Baltimore Sun. Klebanow is often left with the responsibility for cutbacks and buyouts by Whiting. He comes across as vain and lacking character strength, but he has a good sense of the bottom line and the potential of a story to draw readers.[5] Klebanow chairs the daily budget meetings and decides how much space to allocate to each story.[6] Klebanow is based on former Baltimore Sun managing editor Bill Marimow, whom series creator David Simon despises.[7]

Tim Phelps
Played by: Thomas J. McCarthy Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Transitions" (uncredited), "React Quotes", and "30." Tim Phelps is the editor of the paper's State Desk. He is pressurized by funding and staff cuts. Phelps is particularly displeased to be beaten to a story by the Daily Record.[8] Phelps is a smoker and often spends time on the loading dock with his colleagues Gus Haynes, Roger Twigg and Jeff Price.[6] He is named after Timothy Phelps, the state editor during David Simon's tenure at the Baltimore Sun.[9] Phelps is played by actor Thomas J. McCarthy. Another journalist character named Scott Templeton is played by a different Thomas McCarthy.[6] In the David Simon-written Homicide: Life On The Street episode "Wu's On First", Thomas J. McCarthy played a Baltimore Sun editor who has come from Philadelphia obsessed with winning Pulitzers, not unlike Whiting or Klebanow.

Steven Luxenberg
Played by: Robert Poletick Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Not for Attribution" (uncredited), "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Clarifications", "Late Editions", and "30." Steven Luxenberg is the editor of the metro section and oversees other editors including Rebecca on Regional Affairs, Phelps on State Desk and Gus Haynes on City Desk. Luxenberg is a hands-on editor and likes to watch his writers as they work. His section lost its transportation reporter in the last round of buyouts.[6][10] He is named after real-life former Baltimore Sun editor Steve Luxenberg.[2]

Journalists of The Wire

303

Jay Spry
Played by: Donald Neal Appears in Season five: "More With Less;" "Unconfirmed Reports;" "Transitions;" "The Dickensian Aspect" (uncredited); "Clarifications"; "Late Editions"; and "30." Jay Spry is the overnight copy editor, or rewrite man, for the metro desk of the paper.[11] He is a veteran reporter and now takes pride in ensuring the standards of the paper are maintained.[11] He has a dry sense of humor and is diligent, detail-oriented and a veritable newsroom wordsmith.[11] He often has to correct the mistakes of younger reporters like Alma Gutierrez.[6] He is named after Jay Spry, the rewrite man during David Simon's tenure at the Baltimore Sun.[9]

Reporters
Alma Gutierrez
Alma Gutierrez is an eager and talented young reporter. Gutierrez is played by Michelle Paress.[12]

Scott Templeton
Scott Templeton is an unscrupulous and ambitious young reporter. Templeton is played by Tom McCarthy.[13]

Jeff Price
Played by: Todd Scofield Appears in: Season three: "Dead Soldiers" (uncredited) Season five: "More With Less"; "Unconfirmed Reports"; "Not for Attribution"; "Transitions"; "Took" (uncredited); "Clarifications"; "Late Editions" (uncredited) Jeff Price is the city hall reporter for the metro desk. He has covered the beat since before Tommy Carcetti became Mayor and was once leaked a story about police department funding by Carcetti.[14] His experience has given him a touch of complacency.[15] Price misses a potential story in the zoning section of a council meeting agenda that is picked up by his editor Gus Haynes. Price is quick to explore the story further and Haynes still gives Price full credit for finding the story.[6]

Bill Zorzi
Played by: William F. Zorzi Appears in: Season one: "The Buys" Season five: "More With Less", "Transitions", "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", "Clarifications", "Late Editions", and "30." Bill Zorzi is a veteran reporter for The Baltimore Sun facing an increased workload since the last round of buyouts. He is now covering the courthouse and working the rewrite position on the weekend. He is an acerbic and profane presence, particularly when his workload increases.[16] Zorzi often smokes with his colleagues Phelps, Twigg, Haynes and Price.[6]

Journalists of The Wire

304

Mike Fletcher
Played by: Brandon Young Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Not for Attribution", "Transitions" (uncredited), "React Quotes", "The Dickensian Aspect", "Took", "Clarifications", "Late Editions", and "30." Mike "Fletch" Fletcher is a general assignments reporter for the metro desk of the paper.[17] He is a talented writer but sometimes struggles to submit his work in time for deadlines.[17] Fletch has a relaxed approach to his work and a sometimes flippant attitude.[17] While he is still young he is savvy enough to know that a victim's background is more important than good writing in getting a murder story on the front page.[17] Fletch's failure to meet deadlines earns him a reproach from City Desk Editor Gus Haynes.[6] While researching a feature on the homeless, Fletcher gets to know Bubbles, spending a considerable amount of time with him over a span of a few weeks,[18] while Bubbles acts as Fletcher's guide to the city's homeless population. Fletcher visits Bubbles in various settings: the Soup Kitchen where he volunteers, an NA meeting, and while selling newspapers. After getting his permission, Fletcher publishes an article about Bubbles. The article was favorably received by both Haynes and Bubbles.[19] Fletcher is promoted to City Desk Editor after Haynes is demoted. The quality and depth of Fletcher's article about Bubbles is in contrast to what David Simon says is a major theme of the season: The Sun misses the important stories about the city.[20]. Fletcher may be based on former Baltimore Sun reporter Michael A. Fletcher [21], now at The Washington Post.

Roger Twigg
Played by: Bruce Kirkpatrick Appears in: Season five: "More With Less", "Unconfirmed Reports", "Not for Attribution", "Transitions" Roger Twigg is a veteran police reporter for the City Desk.[22] He has been working at The Baltimore Sun for twenty years.[22] Twigg has heard enough tall tales to see a newspaperman's joke coming long before the punchline and his humble attitude and wealth of police department sources often enable him to get the truth on a story.[22] Twigg often smokes with editors Tim Phelps and Gus Haynes. Haynes dispatched Twigg to report on a rowhouse fire that Haynes spots from the Newsroom window.[6] He left the Sun after accepting a buyout, depriving the Sun of its most senior police reporter, and leaving Alma Gutierrez in the position of senior cop reporter.

References
[1] "Character profile - Rebecca Corbett" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ rebecca_corbett. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-02-12. [2] Talbot, Margaret (2007-10-22). "Stealing Life: The crusader behind The Wire" (http:/ / www. newyorker. com/ reporting/ 2007/ 10/ 22/ 071022fa_fact_talbot). The New Yorker. . Retrieved 2008-02-17. [3] "Character profile - City Editor Augustus "Gus" Haynes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ augustus_haynes. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [4] "Character profile - Executive Editor James Whiting" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ james_whiting. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [5] "Character profile - Managing Editor Thomas Klebanow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ thomas_klebanow. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [6] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [7] David Simon at My Nemesis (Stoop Storytelling Series) (http:/ / www. stoopstorytelling. com/ shows/ 19/ storytellers/ 169) [8] "Character profile - State Editor Tim Phelps" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ tim_phelps. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [9] Simon, David (2008-02-16). "A Newspaper Cant Love You Back" (http:/ / www. esquire. com/ features/ essay/ david-simon-0308). Esquire. . Retrieved 2008-03-11.

Journalists of The Wire

[10] "Character profile - Steven Luxenberg" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ steven_luxenberg. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [11] "Character profile - Rewrite man Jay Spry" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ jay_spry. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [12] "Character profile - Alma Gutierrez" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ alma_gutierrez. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [13] "Character profile - Scott Templeton" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ scott_templeton. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [14] David Simon, Dennis Lehane (2004-10-03). "Dead Soldiers". The Wire. episode 3. season 3. HBO. [15] "Character profile - Jeff Price" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ jeff_price. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [16] "Character profile - Bill Zorzi" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ bill_zorzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [17] "Character profile - Mike Fletcher" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ mike_fletcher. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [18] Anthony Hemingway; Dennis Lehane (story and teleplay), David Simon (story). "Clarifications". The Wire. episode 8. season 5. HBO. [19] Clark Johnson; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story). "-30-". The Wire. episode 10. season 5. HBO. [20] Alan Sepinwall. "The Wire: David Simon Q & A" (http:/ / sepinwall. blogspot. com/ 2008/ 03/ wire-david-simon-q. html). Blogger. . Retrieved 2008-07-02. [21] http:/ / www. washingtonpost. com/ michael-a-fletcher/ 2011/ 03/ 04/ AB5zqwN_page. html [22] "Character profile - Roger Twigg" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ roger_twigg. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07.

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Augustus Haynes

306

Augustus Haynes
Augustus Haynes
First appearance "More with Less" (episode 5.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Clark Johnson Information Gender Occupation Male City Desk Editor at The Baltimore Sun

Augustus "Gus" Haynes is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Clark Johnson, who is also a director for the series. Haynes is the dedicated and principled editor for the Baltimore Sun city desk.

Character depiction
Haynes is a dedicated, principled and experienced reporter who now serves as city desk editor of The Baltimore Sun. He has worked at the paper for many years; he claims to have dropped out of journalism school and worked his way up from the police beat and labor beat to his current position. He maintains several contacts within the Baltimore Police Department. Haynes is profane and unrefined and chafes with the management of The Sun. He is a reporter's editor and is quick to both compliment and criticize his team where deserved and likes to keep his reporters motivated.[1]

Season 5
Haynes often smokes on the loading dock of the building with fellow veterans police reporter Roger Twigg,[2] court reporter Bill Zorzi[3] and State Desk Editor Tim Phelps.[4] Haynes reports to Metro Desk Editor Steven Luxenberg[5] and is required to manage a team of journalists including city hall reporter Jeff Price,[6] general assignments reporters Scott Templeton[7] and Mike Fletcher, [8] Twigg and Alma Gutierrez[9] on the police beat, ornery veteran Bill Zorzi and rewrite man Jay Spry,[10] among others. Haynes is responsible for editing the stories his reporters submit, keeping them on deadline and in organizing the submissions for daily budget meeting with managing editor Thomas Klebanow.[11] The budget meeting determines how much space each story is allocated and Haynes often calls for budget lines (short summaries of stories) from his staff so he can present them in the meeting. Haynes is also working with executive editor James Whiting on a prospective series of articles about the city school system.[12] Haynes is upset at continuing cutbacks at the paper causing the closure of foreign bureaus and the loss of veteran reporters and their institutional memory. He is outspoken about the loss of their transportation reporter when The Sun is beaten to a story about city bus cutbacks by the Daily Record. He clashes with Whiting when the executive editor suppresses a story about the University of Maryland failing to meet its desegregation goals. Whiting refuses to run the story because he is friends with the Dean of Journalism, who assures him that the university's reputation is improving amongst black faculty and students.[13][14] Haynes helps to identify and generate stories, including dispatching Twigg to report on a row house fire and noticing a zoning issue in a set of city council minutes that indicates a political scandal. While checking the minutes from a meeting Price has attended, Haynes notices the name of known drug dealer Ricardo "Fatface Rick" Hendrix, who owns a strip club that is being relocated by the council. Haynes discerns that the city will lose a substantial amount of money on the deal, to the benefit of the drug dealer. He has reporters investigate and links the property exchange

Augustus Haynes to campaign contributions from Hendrix to city council president Nerese Campbell. Haynes is even able to manipulate Campbell into revealing that there are further campaign donations that he has not recognized. When Klebanow congratulates Haynes on the story, he gives full credit to Price. Haynes rewards his team by taking them out for drinks.[13][14] Templeton delivers a story about a mother of four who died of an allergic reaction to crabs. Templeton includes mention of a scholarship fund for the woman's children. However, Haynes later learns that the details of a correction by Templeton involving a scam being run by the mom's relative are phony. Haynes meets with Whiting's education piece team to discuss their approach to a series of articles on the subject. Haynes and Scott Shane argue that the school children face wider problems than a lack of funding for their education. Templeton disagrees and Whiting backs his view that a tightly focused story will be easier to read and will appeal more to their audience. Haynes is angry that they are focusing on one aspect of a larger problem but Whiting insists that widening the focus would dilute the impact of the story. Although he doesn't like the story idea, Haynes later tries unsuccessfully to revive the series as a project for Templeton (who he has become distrustful of), but is rebuffed by Klebanow and Whiting because they want Templeton to continue the "homeless serial killer" story. Haynes lies awake that night worried he has transposed figures in an article about activity at the port and phones Spry to check. He is relieved to learn that the details were correct.[15][16] Templeton is assigned to write a color piece about the Baltimore Orioles' Opening Day. When Templeton delivers an unverifiable story about a disabled boy who would only give his nickname and was cutting class to attend the game Haynes is reluctant to run it because it violates the paper's policy on naming its subjects. Haynes is over-ruled by Whiting.[15][16] Haynes is apologetic when Gutierrez's story about a home invasion triple homicide is cut in length and relegated to the metro section. Gutierrez also presents a story about a series of potentially linked murders of homeless men but the details are not sufficient for it to receive a great deal of coverage.[17][18] Haynes is angry when Executive Editor James Whiting announces another round of buy outs and the closure of several foreign bureaus (including Beijing and Jerusalem) and questions why their funding is being cut when the newspaper remains profitable. Haynes is further disappointed when his friend and fellow veteran Twigg is manipulated into accepting a buy out. Haynes himself is told by Whiting and Klebanow that he is essential in managing the transitions in the newsroom.[17][18] Norman Wilson, an ex-colleague and current advisor to Mayor Tommy Carcetti, leaks a story to Haynes about the Mayor's plans for the police department. Carcetti is going to force commissioner Ervin Burrell to resign and eventually replace him with colonel Cedric Daniels. Haynes offers the story to Templeton but reassigns it to Twigg when Twigg demonstrates in depth knowledge of Daniels' background. Haynes assigns Templeton to gather react quotes for the piece and is suspicious when Templeton comes up with an incredibly worded quote. Haynes presses Templeton for his source and he claims that it came from Nerese Campbell. After work Haynes drinks with Twigg and they discuss their reasons for getting into the industry and bemoan the current state of the paper. Haynes reveals that watching his father set time aside to read the paper each day convinced him of its importance and that he wanted to be a part of it. Twigg quotes H.L. Mencken and Haynes dismisses their predecessor, Twigg leaves telling Haynes that he forgives him.[17][18] Haynes amuses the newsroom with running commentary on the press conference Carcetti holds to announce the transitions in the department. Klebanow wonders how much of Haynes' insight will filter into their coverage and Haynes comments that with the loss of Twigg it will be difficult to find sources to support a thorough analysis of the promotions. Klebanow becomes annoyed with Haynes' use of profanity and asks him to moderate it. Haynes' team are also forced to hurry to catch up when the lack of a daily city court reporter causes them to miss the development of the Clay Davis corruption investigation. Haynes is impressed with Templeton's work on this story.[19] Eventually, Haynes begins to suspect that Templeton is fabricating his stories. When a homeless veteran confronts Templeton and Haynes about a combat story that he claims Templeton made up, he takes a trip to Walter Reed

307

Augustus Haynes Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to talk to another vet, who confirms that the veteran is an honest man. Also, during a meeting with Nerese Campbell, she reveals that she was surprised to hear that someone said that Cedric Daniels had a hand in then-Commissioner Burrell's dismissal - a quote previously attributed to Campbell herself by Templeton. He confronts Klebanow, who stands by Templeton. Later, in an argument, Templeton throws a notebook which he says has all his notes in it - when Gutierrez takes a look at it, she discovers it is blank. She relays this information to Gus, who once again confronts Whiting. This time, he is sent back to the copy desk as punishment.

308

References
[1] "Character profile - City Editor Augustus "Gus" Haynes" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ augustus_haynes. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [2] "Character profile - Roger Twigg" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ roger_twigg. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [3] "Character profile - Bill Zorzi" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ bill_zorzi. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [4] "Character profile - State Editor Tim Phelps" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ tim_phelps. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [5] "Character profile - Steven Luxenberg" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ steven_luxenberg. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [6] "Character profile - Jeff Price" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ jeff_price. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [7] "Character profile - Scott Templeton" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ scott_templeton. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [8] "Character profile - Mike Fletcher" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ mike_fletcher. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [9] "Character profile - Alma Gutierrez" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ alma_gutierrez. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [10] "Character profile - Rewrite man Jay Spry" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ jay_spry. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [11] "Character profile - Managing Editor Thomas Klebanow" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ thomas_klebanow. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [12] "Character profile - Executive Editor James Whiting" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ james_whiting. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [13] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [14] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [15] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [16] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [17] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [18] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [19] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO.

Scott Templeton

309

Scott Templeton
Scott Templeton
First appearance "More with Less" (episode 5.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Thomas McCarthy Information Gender Occupation Male Reporter at The Baltimore Sun

M. Scott Templeton is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Thomas McCarthy. The actor joined the starring cast as the series' fifth season began.

Biography
Templeton is a young reporter who allows his extreme ambition to lead him to falsify stories. He has previously worked at the Wichita Eagle and the Kansas City Star. Templeton sees his current job as a general assignment reporter at The Baltimore Sun as a stepping stone to The Washington Post or New York Times. His prose is reflective of his personality and is often overwrought and exaggerated. Templeton's style is welcomed by Managing Editor Thomas Klebanow and Executive Editor James Whiting.[1]

Season 5
Templeton is involved with breaking a story about a drug dealer making campaign contributions and receiving profitable property deals in return. He finds his role of preparing background information dissatisfying, and he is dismissive of the paper as a whole to his colleague Alma Gutierrez. Nevertheless, Templeton is eager to write a follow-up story and requests the assignment from City Desk Editor Gus Haynes. Haynes denies the request as he has already given the story to city council reporter Jeff Price but encourages Templeton to continue seeking stories.[2][3] Templeton is part of a team led by Executive Editor James Whiting planning a series of articles about the problems with education. Templeton wins favor with Whiting when he backs his philosophy that the piece requires little context and should remain tightly focused on the schools themselves. Haynes unsuccessfully argues the alternative positionthat more context increases the relevance and effectiveness of any story.[4][5] Templeton is assigned the color story about the Baltimore Orioles opening day game. He plans to write a story about a dedicated fan but his canvassing does not render anyone that fits his profile. When he returns to the paper he tells Haynes that his subject is a thirteen year old disabled boy who wanted to attend the game but could not afford a ticket. Haynes is concerned by Templeton's claim that the boy would only give his nickname "E-Jay." Haynes asks Templeton for more detail and Templeton claims E-Jay didn't want to give his name because he was truant from school in order to attend. He also says that E-Jay is an orphan who lives with his aunt and was injured by a stray bullet causing his disability. Haynes tries to verify the story by dispatching photographers to find the boy and checking the archives for a story about his original injury. When he is unsuccessful in corroborating Templeton's work Haynes confronts Templeton a second time and Templeton tells Haynes that he resents the implication that his work is fabricated. Haynes is forced to run the piece when Whiting gives Templeton his full support.[4][5] Templeton also submits a story about a mother of four who has died of a toxic reaction to blue crabs. He claims the woman's sister is collecting for a fund to pay for the children's education.[4][5]

Scott Templeton When buyouts are announced at the paper Templeton comments to his colleagues that he hopes they will get rid of some of the "dead wood" in the newsroom. Haynes is perturbed by the perceived insult to his friend, veteran police reporter Roger Twigg, who has accepted a buyout. When Haynes gets news of a story about commissioner Ervin Burrell being forced to retire and replaced by colonel Cedric Daniels he offers the story to Templeton because of Twigg's impending departure. Templeton is not aware of Daniels, and Twigg manages to recite a quick history of his career and expresses an interest, so Haynes gives him the assignment. Haynes asks Templeton to canvass for react quotes to the story. Templeton is seen not making phone calls and then submits an incredibly-worded quote. Haynes is again dubious about the material and asks Templeton for his source. Templeton reluctantly credits the quote to Nerese Campbell and claims that Twigg is not the only skilled reporter in the newsroom. Haynes accepts the quote for the piece.[6][7] Templeton is pleased when he is offered an interview with The Washington Post and takes the day off to attend. When he first arrives he is eager to observe a budget meeting but during the interview he becomes discouraged when his prose is described as overwrought and he is not familiar with the stories that have most impressed the editors of the Post. They do not offer him a position but do promise to keep his resume on file and ask him to reapply when he has more experience. Templeton returns to Baltimore disheartened.[8] Haynes asks Templeton to assist Bill Zorzi in catching them up on a missed story about a local corruption charges against Clay Davis. Templeton is assigned to contact state's attorney Rupert Bond and Haynes later praises his hard work in preparing the story in time for the next edition. Templeton admits to Gutierrez that he was unsuccessful in his job interview and reverses his position on The Sun stating that it is not a bad paper.[8] Haynes is briefly impressed by Templeton when he hits the streets and writes an excellent profile of a homeless man who suffers from PTSD after an IED hit his patrol unit in Iraq. However, Templeton also claims in the same episode to have checked on a fraud case, and Haynes later finds out his explanation for the story doesn't check out. The vet later comes in and says Templeton lied about his story as well, from saying they were in a Black Hawk Down-level firefight to saying they had coffee instead of chocolate milk. Haynes goes to the Walter Reed Center in D.C. and talks to a wounded veteran who backs up the interviewed vet, saying he's not a liar. Templeton continues to fabricate information for the fake serial-killer plan that McNulty hatches, and the detective quickly realizes Scott is a fabulist. However, in the end Haynes and Gutierrez both receive demotions for questioning Templeton's work, while he wins a Pulitzer Prize for his "reporting" on the homeless in Baltimore.

310

Production
Templeton is played by actor Thomas McCarthy. McCarthy joined the starring cast in the fifth season and his character debuted in the fifth season premiere "More with Less".[9] A different actor named Thomas J. McCarthy plays the minor character of Tim Phelps, also in the fifth season.

Origins
Critics have stated that Templeton is based on reporter Jim Haner.[10][11][12] In January 2000, Haner wrote a story which the Sun retracted several days later due to inaccuracies. Show creator and writer David Simon, a former Sun reporter, stated that he believed that Haner invented quotes and events without punishment from his editors.[13] The character also appears to reference some famous cases of journalists falsifying stories to advance their careers, such as Stephen Glass at The New Republic, Janet Cooke at the Washington Post, and Jayson Blair at The New York Times.[12][14]

Scott Templeton

311

References
[1] "Character profile - Scott Templeton" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ scott_templeton. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [2] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [9] "Cast & Crew - Tom McCarthy as Scott Templeton" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ actors/ paper/ tom_mccarthy. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-15. [10] "Hot off "The Wire"" (http:/ / www. salon. com/ entertainment/ tv/ feature/ 2008/ 01/ 14/ wire_wrap_1). Salon. 2008-01-14. . Retrieved June 10, 2011. [11] Scocca, Tom (2008-01-29). "Whose Bastard Sun: If The Wire Is Wrong, Why Is Baltimores Paper So Bad?" (http:/ / www. observer. com/ 2008/ sun-set-over-baltimore-wire-gets-it-right-where-tribune-didnt). The New York Observer. . Retrieved June 10, 2011. [12] Athitakis, Mark (2008-02-01). "What Happened to Our Show?" (http:/ / www. washingtoncitypaper. com/ articles/ 34511/ what-happened-to-our-show). Washington City Paper. . Retrieved June 10, 2011. [13] Chalkey, Tom (2000-10-04). "Throwing Stones" (http:/ / www2. citypaper. com/ news/ story. asp?id=10193). Baltimore City Paper. . Retrieved June 10, 2011. [14] "The Wire Final Season" (http:/ / www. slate. com/ toolbar. aspx?action=print& id=2181449). Slate. 2008-03-12. . Retrieved June 10, 2011.

Alma Gutierrez

312

Alma Gutierrez
Alma Gutierrez
First appearance "More with Less" (episode 5.01) Last appearance "30" (episode 5.10) Created by Portrayed by David Simon Michelle Paress Information Gender Occupation Female Reporter at The Baltimore Sun

Alma M. Gutierrez is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Michelle Paress. Gutierrez is a dedicated and idealistic young reporter on the city desk of The Baltimore Sun.[1]

Biography
Gutierrez joins the staff of The Baltimore Sun five months before the fifth season begins after working for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[1] She is eager for the chance to prove herself and is enjoying her new career.[1] Her abilities have already caught the attention of city desk editor Gus Haynes.[1] Gutierrez lives with her boyfriend.[2][3]

Season 5
Gutierrez submits a story about a fire in a row house and is embarrassed in front of the whole newsroom by her editor Gus Haynes and copy editor Jay Spry, who take her to task over her use of the word evacuate. Gutierrez is also assigned by Haynes to get a reaction quote from drug dealer Ricardo "Fat-Face Rick" Hendrix after the editor notices a lucrative real estate deal between Hendrix and the city council. Gutierrez is sent to Hendrix's strip club Desperado and comes back with a strong quote. She receives a contributing line in the story for her efforts. Her colleague Scott Templeton is disparaging about the credit she received and the credentials of the paper as a whole but Gutierrez remains upbeat.[4][5] Gutierrez usually covers the police beat and is excited when she reports on a home invasion and triple homicide.[6][7] She awakes early the next day to look at her story in print, but is disappointed to find that it has been edited down and buried within the paper. Haynes tells her that it was a bureaucratic mishap, but her colleague Mike Fletcher tells her the piece was cut because of the area where the victims are from.[2][3] Gutierrez is worried when buy-outs are announced to cut costs at the paper, but ultimately has more opportunities as veteran crime beat reporter Roger Twigg accepts a buy-out.[2][3] Without Twigg's expertise and contacts, Gutierrez struggles to find sources to provide analysis for a story about Mayor Tommy Carcetti replacing police commissioner Ervin Burrell. Gutierrez also works with the city desk team to prepare a last-minute story about the Clay Davis corruption case which was initially missed because there is no daily city court reporter on staff.[8]

Alma Gutierrez

313

Production
Paress is married to former The Wire star Larry Gilliard Jr., who played D'Angelo Barksdale.The part is Paress' first major role on screen, having previously worked primarily on stage. Paress submitted an audition tape expecting to be considered for a smaller role and was asked to play Gutierrez by executive producer and head writer David Simon. Paress describes her character as ambitious, principled and light hearted.[9]

References
[1] "Character profile - Alma Gutierrez" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ cast/ characters/ paper/ alma_gutierrez. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-07. [2] Scott and Joy Kecken; Chris Collins (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-20). "Not for Attribution". The Wire. episode 3. season 5. HBO. [3] "The Wire episode guide - episode 53 Not for Attribution" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode53. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [4] Joe Chappelle; David Simon (story and teleplay), Ed Burns (story) (2008-01-06). "More with Less". The Wire. episode 1. season 5. HBO. [5] "The Wire episode guide - episode 51 More with Less" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode51. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [6] Ernest Dickerson; William F. Zorzi (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-13). "Unconfirmed Reports". The Wire. episode 2. season 5. HBO. [7] "The Wire episode guide - episode 52 Uncomfirmed Reports" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ episode/ season5/ episode52. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-22. [8] Dan Attias; Ed Burns (story and teleplay), David Simon (story) (2008-01-27). "Transitions". The Wire. episode 4. season 5. HBO. [9] "The Wire interviews: Michelle Paress" (http:/ / www. hbo. com/ thewire/ interviews/ michelle_paress. shtml). HBO. 2008. . Retrieved 2008-01-27.

314

Miscellany
And All the Pieces Matter Five Years of Music from The Wire
And All the Pieces Matter - Five Years of Music from The Wire
Soundtrack album by Various artists Released Label January 8, 2008 Nonesuch

Professional ratings Review scores

Source Pitchfork Media Allmusic Rating (6.6/10) [1] [2]

And All the Pieces Matter - Five Years of Music from The Wire is a soundtrack album for the HBO television show The Wire, that was released on January 8, 2008.

Track listing
No. Title 1. "This America, man" 2. "Way Down in the Hole" 3. "Why would anyone ever wanna leave Baltimore?" 4. "Oh My God" 5. "Dance My Pain Away" 6. "My Life Extra" 7. "The king stay the king" 8. "Way Down in the Hole" 9. "We used to make shit in this country" 10. "Sixteen Tons" 11. "Assume the Position" 12. "What the fuck did I do?" 13. "Step by Step" 14. "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" Winchester Rebennack Jesse Winchester Paul Weller Travis Gilchrist The Nighthawks Lafayette Gilchrist Waits The Neville Brothers Franti Lee Brand Michael Franti & Spearhead Rod Lee DJ Technics Waits The Blind Boys of Alabama Writer(s) Artist Length 0:25 2:56 0:24 5:06 2:07 1:17 0:47 1:34 0:14 3:33 3:40 0:13 2:53 4:58

And All the Pieces Matter Five Years of Music from The Wire

315
Solomon Burke The Pogues 5:38 4:44 0:08

15. "Fast Train" 16. "The Body of an American" 17. "All the pieces matter" 18. "Efuge Efuge" 19. "Omar Comin'!" 20. "Way Down in the Hole" 21. "If its a lie, then we fight on that lie" 22. "Projects" 23. "Later for that gangsta bullshit" 24. "Ayo" 25. "Analyze" 26. "Wars end" 27. "Unfriendly Game" 28. "What You Know About Baltimore" 29. "Jail Flick" 30. "The Life, the Hood, the Streetz" 31. "An act of daily journalism" 32. "I Feel Alright" 33. "Way Down in the Hole" 34. "You remember the one day summer past?" 35. "The Fall" Total length:

Morrison MacGowan

Vassiliadis

Stelios Kazantzidis

3:33 0:40

Waits

DoMaJe

1:43 0:21

Morehead, Darkroom Productions Tyree Colion

3:28 0:38

Hill/Holifield/Shelton

Bossman SharpShootaz

3:19 2:44 0:14

Clear

Masta Ace Ogun feat. Phathead

3:52 3:17 3:38 3:49 0:13

Champ, Darkroom Productions Muldrow

Diablo Mullyman

Earle Waits

Steve Earle Tom Waits

2:56 1:44 0:41

Leyh

Blake Leyh

1:50 79:17

Personnel
Ivan Ashford vocals Avery Bargasse vocals Karina Benznicki production supervisor James Bevelle engineer, mixing David Bither executive producer Cameron Brown vocals Andre Burke violin Greg Calbi mastering Eli Cane production coordination Milton Davis producer Michael Franti producer Ronen Givony editorial coordinator Loren Hill producer Andy Kris mixing Rod Lee producer Blake Leyh mixing, producer James Mbah producer Ivan Neville producer

And All the Pieces Matter Five Years of Music from The Wire Nina K. Noble producer Mike Potter engineer Richard Shelton producer David Simon executive producer Karen L. Thorson producer Louis Tineo producer Jamal Roberts - producer Juan Donovan - producer Doreen Vail arranger, producer

316

References
[1] Pitchfork Media review (http:/ / pitchfork. com/ reviews/ albums/ 11646-and-all-the-pieces-matter-five-years-of-music-from-the-wire-beyond-hamsterdam-baltimore-tracks-from-the-wire/ ) [2] Jurek, Thom. And All the Pieces Matter (http:/ / www. allmusic. com/ album/ r1266166) at Allmusic

External links
Page on Nonsuch records (http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/ and-all-the-pieces-matter-five-years-of-music-from-the-wire)

Article Sources and Contributors

317

Article Sources and Contributors

The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487995080 Contributors: 2012Olympian, A. B., ABCxyz, Aaron Bowen, AaronSw, AaronY, Absconded Northerner, Abu-Dun, Aburda, Acbistro, Acroterion, Adam Scott 89, AdamDavid, Adrian Sampson, Adsrghey, Afghafgh, Ahaze26, Ahkond, Alan smithee, AlbertXII, Alexz1, Alpha 4615, Altzinn, Alvis, Amitparikh, Ampersand777, Andrea105, Andrew Levine, Andycjp, Ankursethi108, Another Believer, Anthropomancer, Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The, Apparition11, Aptpupil79, Arabiandiscoara, Aranherunar, Arcayne, ArchStanton69, Areback, Aristophanes68, Arsvita734, Artaxiad, Arthur Holland, Ask123, Athene cunicularia, Aviados, AxelBoldt, Axem Titanium, Baldursgate, Barticus88, Bdve, Bearcat, Bellhalla, Ben King, Ben-T, Bentobias, Bhudnutt, Bibigon, Bihco, Bill Dewan, BishopOcelot, Blakeleyh, Blessedandrested, Blue Square Thing, BlueLint, Bob Castle, Bobanny, Bolstergrey, Boris Badinov44, Bovineboy2008, Bradley0110, Branddobbe, Brendanliamboyle, Brianga, Brighterorange, Brooker, Burdekin, Burston, Busby1308, Bwithh, Bzsigike, C1010, CBcleaner, Capitalist Infidel, Captain panda, Cardsplayer4life, Carioca, Catgut, Causa sui, Cavie78, Cbc2v, Cbd21, Ccscott, Ceilingtracer, Chandrasonic, ChazBeckett, Cheechoo, Chris 42, Chris 73, Chris123454, Chriscf, Cjstensrud, Ckatz, Ckleerun, Clancy60, Clashfrankcastle, Cliff smith, Cljohns, Closedmouth, Cnota, CommonsDelinker, Condekedar, Conman33, Conor Kenny, Conradege, Corbinsmith, Corissac, Cowsmoo62, Crazy monkey172, Cuchullain, CutOffTies, DMacks, Danigro89, DannyError, Davecampbell, David Gerard, David in DC, David2032, Davidallenoliver, Daysleeper47, Dbage, Dehlz, DelilahP2, Densely, DerHexer, Desmasonomics, Diannaa, Dimen22, DionysosProteus, Dirtbilly, Discospinster, Divus, Djln, DocKino, Dodgerblue777, Dodiad, Dogcow, Dpaymas, Dre07, Drilnoth, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, Duggy 1138, Dwiki, EEMIV, ENeville, Earache86, East718, Edgar181, Edward, Eleven even, Elliewellie558, Eloipfeiffer, Embryomystic, Enviroboy, EqualRights, Esprit15d, Esrever, Euchiasmus, Evanreyes, Evil1987, Extraordinary Machine, Extremelyemotional, Fastplanet, Faz09, Fconaway, Fernandosmission, Fleming60, Flowerparty, Fofe510, FrankCostanza, Fratrep, Fred Bradstadt, Fromyoutoome, Fuhghettaboutit, Gaius Cornelius, Galactusz, Gareth Aus, Genedecanter, Giraffedata, GirasoleDE, Glaze, Glenarmhorse, GoingBatty, Graham87, Gram123, GrayFullbuster, Grenavitar, GuffasBorgz2, Gus Haynes, Gymnophoria, Gyorgy, Harley Hudson, Headbomb, Hellomoto87, Henry51, Henryodell, Hlotslinks, Hmains, HombreDHojalata, Horkana, Hucksterling, Huevos Mcgringo, Huey Newton and the News, Hunter Kahn, Hustlina, Hux, IanBurrell, Infocidal, Inka 888, Into The Fray, Intothewoods29, Istcol, It Is Me Here, Ivansanchez, J.delanoy, J52y, JD79, JFD, Jackhynes, James086, JamesCarter05, Jasoned, JeffStickney, Jezzabr, Jhbuk, Jimaking, Jm6852, Jmorgana2, Jo3sampl, Jogurney, John K, Johnmcdo, Jone2009, Josephgrossberg, Jvt2111, Kanabekobaton, Kbir1, Keikosmile, KenHershey, Kenhatesspam, Kfeniello, Kintetsubuffalo, Kmhkmh, Knight7se7en, Koavf, Kontest, Krisfulton, LBUnknown, Lapsed Pacifist, Legoktm, Lemmey, Leontes, LiVE2LAUGH, Liamdalion, Lid, Liftarn, Lilwyte, Liquidmetalrob, Lloydsd, LlywelynII, LoomisSimmons, LordShitzu, Loweeel, Lquilter, Lt. penguin, Lynch1445, M fic, MER-C, MZMcBride, Magnus Bck, Malc82, Malik Shabazz, Malik410, Maliklockett, Marcus Brute, Mark & cal 9876543210, MarkSweep, Markdandrea, Markeer, Markkawika, Marqueed, Matiasleoni, Mccarry85, Mechanical Bliss, Medvedenko, Mendors, Merzbow, Michael Devore, Michele Konrad, Michig, Milch78, MisfitToys, Mistat94, Mmmpieisgood, Movementarian, Mr. Chicago, Mr. Kreival, Mrblondnyc, Mspence82, Msridhar, Muboshgu, MusicInTheHouse, Mysdaao, NHRHS2010, Nadum215, NathanBeach, Navyteacher86, Neelix, Newt Winkler, Nick R, Nick-D, Nike, Nio3, Nomadic11, Novus, NrDg, Nua eire, NuclearWarfare, Numonk, OOODDD, Oneiros, Opark 77, Orange Suede Sofa, Orangemike, Oxymoron83, PDWadler, Pablo X, Padraic, PartyMan420, Pascal.Tesson, Paul Erik, Pete Scholtes, Pexise, Phydend, Pknicker, Plass129, Plateofshrimp, Propaniac, ProveIt, Pyro721, Qjuad, Quadparty, RHaworth, RMFan1, RYANonWIKIPEDIA, Raheem Wes, Raheem West, Raining girl, RalfiParpa, Rambone, Ramiletnom, Rasasrat, RazorICE, Realsupergirl, Rebel, Reflex Reaction, Repabil, RestonGL, Rettetast, Rich Farmbrough, Rich257, Rjwilmsi, Rmky87, Rmosler2100, Rmurdick, RobertG, RoyBatty42, Ruthiedee, Ruy Pugliesi, SIMON ADEBISI, Sam, SandyGeorgia, Sanfranman59, Sansbras, SaschaTeske, Sattitude, Sceptre, Sdornan, SeanMooney, Seb az86556, Sergay, Sesesq, Sfufan2005, Sidh wiki, SimonHova, Sisterdetestai, Skeletalguy, Skomorokh, SkyMachine, Slakr, Slaporte, SlinkyMalinki, Sohollywood, Spellcast, SpencerThiel, Splamo, Squiddy, Srleslie, Srushe, Startako, Steeltoe, Stefan Kruithof, SteveMacIntyre, Steven Walling, Stevenplunkett, Stevepoland, Steveweiser, Stiaand, Stilgar135, Stillstudying, Strikehold, SubSeven, Sunray, Supercrazymagicmonkey, Suspie, Syferus, TAnthony, TFOWR, TMS2787, Tagtool, Tanet, Tariqabjotu, Tassedethe, TastyCakes, Tater99, Techsmith, Ted87, Teiladnam, Telefan, Terri G, Tgeairn, The Ink Daddy!, The Interior, The monkeyhate, TheBearPaw, Thebogusman, Thedemonhog, TheoClarke, Thinker jones, This living hand, Tjg16c, Tjic, Tom Morris, Tommyt, Tomsak, Tony Sidaway, Tony1, TonyTheTiger, Tonytula, Toshotosho, Tpbradbury, Tpnations, TrudyKockenlocker, Trusilver, Tullyano7, Turtle Life, Twp, Ugh3n, UnkoDisaster, Unused000701, Uranium grenade, Valkyryn, Veritek83, Versageek, WWB, Wabernat, Wackymacs, Wandering canadian, Warhol13, Wcpeterson, Weirdoactor, Wfgiuliano, Willrich101, Windupbarbie, Wisekwai, Wjfox2005, Woohookitty, Wtmitchell, Xavexgoem, XenonXylophone, Xeworlebi, Xghidorax, Yamla, Yhelothur, Zachdms, Zafiroblue05, Zalgo, Zephirine, Zyxyxz, 1006 anonymous edits David Simon Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487693987 Contributors: 4wajzkd02, 97198, Agnosticraccoon, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Aoa8212, Apathyjunkie, Asabovesobellow, Athenchen, Athene cunicularia, Beetstra, BillDeanCarter, Bkat004, Brandon97, C-sonic, CLW, Calvesblood, Ceoil, Citizenryan, Closedmouth, Cmdrjameson, CutOffTies, D6, DanDud88, Dariob, Davecampbell, DavidLevinson, Dmadeo, Dodgerblue777, Dvanvliet, Edelmand, Eperotao, Gaius Cornelius, Gary King, Gene Nygaard, Goalieman36, GrapedApe, Hall Monitor, Henry Merrivale, Herm720, Horkana, Horsepal, Howardjp, Hunter Kahn, Hux, Infrogmation, IrisKawling, J-Party, Jack O'Lantern, Jareha, Jazbit, Jeanenawhitney, Jersey Devil, Jerseyjack21, Jo to po-1, JohnFromPinckney, Jows136, Juggler2005, Jweiss11, KConWiki, Kamasutra, Kbdank71, Kellyselden, Kumioko, Lanford, Lawikitejana, LilHelpa, MC10, Malik Shabazz, Maria camila, MarnetteD, Marudubshinki, Mindmatrix, Moncrief, Nightscream, Nikthestoned, Nymf, Opark 77, Otto4711, Pablo X, Padraic, Paulkeller, Plasticup, Prestonmag, Prezbo, RTG, RalfiParpa, ReeseronnieL, Reservoirhill, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, RobSchop, RoyBatty42, Schmiteye, Sebseb81, Seduisant, Semidash, ShelfSkewed, Skomorokh, Solarcaine, Szquirrel, Tanet, The Interior, TheBearPaw, Thomas Thoren, ThomasK, ThunderPeel2001, Tom, Tommyt, TonyTheTiger, Travelbird, Tullyano7, Twix1875, Vary, William.wlizlo, Xavexgoem, Zipzipzip, 127 anonymous edits Writers and directors Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=407127377 Contributors: AGK, Drovethrughosts, Ettrig, Fayenatic london, Geo Swan, Lynch1445, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, 6 anonymous edits Awards and nominations Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=476512100 Contributors: Bradley0110, GobBluthGambitDeadpool, Mysdaao, Opark 77, Rjwilmsi, ScottMHoward, Velcro Christmas Tree, 13 anonymous edits List of The Wire episodes Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484672011 Contributors: 17Drew, Ahkond, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Angr, Asparagus, Bwmodular, Chamal N, Chris 42, Circeus, Conradege, Cristan, David Gerard, Downloadmeh, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, East718, Ed g2s, Feydey, F, Homerandflanders, Horkana, IronDuke, J0nnyH, Jared Preston, Jdpeck2147, JeffStickney, JeffW, Lid, MZMcBride, Malik Shabazz, MarkSweep, Markkawika, Mattbr, Matthew, Mhiji, Milton Stanley, Minderbinder, Msp, Ned Scott, Ohconfucius, Omgilikebob, Opark 77, Peregrine Fisher, Peteb16, Qjuad, Quadparty, Radagast83, RalfiParpa, Saber girl08, SchrutedIt08, Sfufan2005, Stilgar135, TTN, ThatGuamGuy, Thebogusman, ThunderPeel2001, Timotab, TobinMoffatt, TravelingCat, Verdlanco, Warhol13, Westin, 118 anonymous edits Season 1 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=475307084 Contributors: Abu-Dun, Ahkond, Anto33, Belariad, Dodiad, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, Fuzzy510, Gus Haynes, Helenalex, Hunter Kahn, InspectorTiger, Jalmenus, Jeremy Butler, Laaaaaaaaawl, Labatarde, Leftsideend, Lynch1445, My76Strat, Ohconfucius, Oneiros, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rich Farmbrough, Sarilox, SchrutedIt08, TAnthony, TheFarix, TonyTheTiger, UDScott, 19 anonymous edits Season 2 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=478001402 Contributors: ABCxyz, CWY2190, Coyau, Dodiad, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, Edward, Folding Chair, Geeklizzard, Jalmenus, Kbir1, Lord Jim, Lukeowens, Lynch1445, Meisterkoch, Ohconfucius, Oneiros, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Redfarmer, SS451, Sarilox, SchrutedIt08, Sdornan, TheFarix, Tjc519, Tommyt, TonyTheTiger, Wisekwai, 26 anonymous edits Season 3 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=474585160 Contributors: Alan smithee, Anto33, Astanhope, AxelFendersson, Bus2Beezlebub, CutOffTies, Dick Shane, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, Dystopos, East718, Freepablo, Geschichte, Grant65, Hydrogen Iodide, JBsupreme, Jargoness, JesseRafe, Katharineamy, Lackett, Lemmey, Lord Jim, LucyLocket481, Mitchellrc, Ohconfucius, Oneiros, Opark 77, Pyro721, RalfiParpa, RalphytheBohemian, Redfarmer, Samuel Webster, Sarilox, SchrutedIt08, Secleinteer, TheFarix, TonyTheTiger, WWB, Wolfer68, Xeworlebi, 25 anonymous edits Season 4 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=474600434 Contributors: Anna Lincoln, ArtVandelay13, Bigweeboy, Chowbok, Chris the speller, Chrisxero, Courcelles, David Schaich, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, GirasoleDE, Jeisenberg, Joebeone, Lord Jim, Lynch1445, Ohconfucius, Opark 77, Palfrey, Pyro721, RalfiParpa, Redfarmer, Sarilox, SchrutedIt08, TheFarix, TonyTheTiger, Tool2Die4, UKER, WikHead, Woohookitty, Xep, Xeworlebi, 35 anonymous edits Season 5 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=486130868 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Beamjockey, Bigkhrisdogg, BlackMarlin, Cornell92, Daniel Case, Danigro89, Daysleeper47, Dodiad, Drovethrughosts, Drunkenpeter99, Ed g2s, Esrever, Extremelyemotional, Fratrep, GirasoleDE, Hookahmasta, Iridescent, Jbc2k052, Jdpeck2147, JeffStickney, Jeffday1, Jogers, Jposey3, Jweiss11, Lucid Smog, LucyLocket481, M2545, Mailer diablo, MegX, Mrblondnyc, Namond br, Ohconfucius, Opark 77, Pejorative.majeure, Pyro721, RalfiParpa, Redfarmer, Sarilox, SchrutedIt08, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, SoCalAlum, Stephenb, Sundevilesq, The Ink Daddy!, TheFarix, Tinoynk, Tokelazor, TonyTheTiger, WOSlinker, WWB, Woodyteegra, Woohookitty, 73 anonymous edits List of The Wire characters Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=466925938 Contributors: -MatM-, ABCxyz, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, Andrewjnyc, Arthur Holland, Awiseman, Biggie500, Blaine236, Buckshot06, Burgher, Canadian-Bacon, Canjth, Captain Crawdad, Commasense, Conradege, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, David Gerard, Dkkicks, Dodiad, Drovethrughosts, DruP55, East718, Ellsworth, Epolk, Flash191, GirasoleDE, Gorilla Jones, Hersfold, Hunter Kahn, Jack O'Lantern, Jaypea99, JeffStickney, Jimmarci, John, Kintetsubuffalo, KrakatoaKatie, Lhajbox, Lynch1445, Maliklockett, Marcus Brute, MarkSweep, Mboverload, Mike Rosoft, Mike Selinker, Minderbinder, Mr0grady, Mrblondnyc, Nscheffey, Opark 77, P4k, Patmaher, Pegship, Qjuad, Quaggy, Rawling, ReformedEditor, Ryecatcher773, SEF23a, Scribbler357, SeanO, Secleinteer, Secretaria, SoCalAlum, Stilgar135, Sundevilesq, SupaVillian, Teiladnam, ThatGuamGuy, Thiseye, Tjg16c, Twinxor, Wabernat, Wikipda, Wisekwai, 371 anonymous edits

Article Sources and Contributors

Police of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487332733 Contributors: AaronSw, Acbistro, Alan smithee, Anapazapa, Anentiresleeve, Antoin, Bachrach44, BierHerr, Bristle-krs, Buttonwillow mckittrick, C1k3, Chrishepner, Conradege, Courierofdeath, CutOffTies, Daysleeper47, Digamma, Djln, Dodgerblue777, Dodiad, Dogcow, Drbreznjev, EEMIV, East718, Edward321, Esrever, Fratrep, GiantSnowman, Goldenboy, Gus Haynes, Hunter Kahn, Illuminattile, Inka 888, JeffStickney, Jimthing, JohnnyMrNinja, Jpw5x4, Jsabrown, JustAGal, Jweiss11, KevinGTempleton, Kwanyin8, Lid, Liface, LilHelpa, Lynch1445, Mandarax, Meelar, Meisterkoch, Mild Bill Hiccup, Mr. IP, Mrblondnyc, Mvphillips22, Opark 77, PMDrive1061, Pablo X, Peripitus, Plrk, Rjwilmsi, Rrburke, ShakataGaNai, ShelfSkewed, Skakkle, Smartiger, Sparksp, Stuckand, ThatGuamGuy, Thewikiuser1986, Tide rolls, Twas Now, Vibhijain, VictorGuardian250505, Wolfer68, Wormcast, Yaksar, 195 anonymous edits Jimmy McNulty Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=482798150 Contributors: -MatM-, AaronSw, Acbistro, Alexz1, Altenmann, Am088, An Siarach, Andrew Levine, Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, Bilsonius, Bob1202, CJLL Wright, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Conradege, Cuchullain, CutOffTies, DMacks, David Gerard, Dickens10, Djln, Dodgerblue777, DragonflySixtyseven, Drovethrughosts, Epbr123, Fratrep, GKR, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, JaGa, Jabrona, JeffStickney, Jersey Devil, Jessicapierce, Joe Bradshaw, Jwillbur, Kingoftheinterweb, Lilengine, Luna Santin, Macg118, Magister Mathematicae, Monsieur david, Mrblondnyc, Norwikian, Nsaa, Oldy nsw, Opark 77, Paul A, Qjuad, RalfiParpa, Riverside09, Rjwilmsi, Rrburke, SimonKSK, South Bay, Swpb, ThatGuamGuy, The wub, Theoban, Tjg16c, Treybien, 171 anonymous edits Kima Greggs Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=473633718 Contributors: -MatM-, ABCxyz, AaronSw, AlexiusHoratius, Appraiser, BierHerr, Black mariah, Conradege, CutOffTies, Daysleeper47, Djln, Docether, Drovethrughosts, Ellsworth, Firsfron, Fmanjoo, Fortitude mountain, Fratrep, Gaius Cornelius, Geeky Randy, Illuminattile, Jabrona, Jersey Devil, LilHelpa, Lmallory, Magioladitis, Norwikian, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Riverside09, Rjwilmsi, Rmky87, Sdalmonte, Skomorokh, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, Zythe, 55 anonymous edits Bunk Moreland Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=473633774 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Bdve, BierHerr, Brenont, Conradege, Crotchety Old Man, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Ddg4005, Djln, Fcmartins, Gbmontgo, Geeky Randy, Jessicapierce, John Reaves, Magister Mathematicae, Mrblondnyc, Naerii, Nlsanand, Opark 77, Paul A, RalfiParpa, RalphytheBohemian, Rich Farmbrough, Sansbras, Saukenprince, Sceptre, SimonBillenness, ThatGuamGuy, The wub, TimidObserver, Tomgreeny, Treybien, 102 anonymous edits Lester Freamon Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=486244081 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Ark2120, Arkind, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, Bkonrad, Chowbok, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Devastatindesmond, Djln, Fratrep, Galaxiaad, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, Halda, Iohannes Animosus, Magioladitis, Mr0grady, Opark 77, QuiteUnusual, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Rmky87, Slakr, SoCalAlum, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, 74 anonymous edits Herc Hauk Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487237829 Contributors: AaronSw, Acbistro, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, Autonova, BierHerr, Closedmouth, Conradege, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Daysleeper47, Djln, Dodgerblue777, Drovethrughosts, Elagatis, Ellsworth, Fratrep, Gaius Cornelius, Gameboy4192, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, Hebrides, Jabrona, Kafka Liz, Karaboom, Kitty Davis, M fic, Macphisto12, Magioladitis, MichaelMaggs, Mrblondnyc, Norwikian, Opark 77, Paul A, Phoenixrod, Pigman, Porterhse, Qjuad, RalfiParpa, Rich Farmbrough, SimonBillenness, SoCalAlum, Steepbn, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Tommyt, Treybien, Uarent, Yu & You, 81 anonymous edits Roland Pryzbylewski Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=481732678 Contributors: AaronSw, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, Arcayne, ArtVandelay13, BD2412, BierHerr, Captain Crawdad, Conradege, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Dick Shane, DirtyRottenBarry, Djln, Dodgerblue777, Drovethrughosts, Ellsworth, Etaon, Faff296, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, Jabrona, JeffStickney, Jhfrontz, John K, Katieh5584, Mirv, Mrblondnyc, Namond br, Norwikian, Octane, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Spark240, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, Twas Now, Valkyryn, Vis-a-visconti, Yarsan, Yu & You, 84 anonymous edits Ellis Carver Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=461064277 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Ahkond, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, Boris Barowski, Brusegadi, Cbustapeck, David Gerard, Djln, Dodgerblue777, Elagatis, Esrever, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, John K, Kbir1, Lowellian, Magioladitis, Mike Selinker, NHRHS2010, Opark 77, Paul A, Pigman, RalfiParpa, The Apokalips, Wikipda, 57 anonymous edits Leander Sydnor Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484651076 Contributors: AaronSw, Bdve, BierHerr, Colonies Chris, Conradege, CutOffTies, Djln, Erebus555, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, LilHelpa, McCullarMichael, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Subject name here, Szesetszedziesitsze, Treybien, 23 anonymous edits Beadie Russell Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=473633999 Contributors: AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Aoa8212, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Daysleeper47, Djln, Emadrak, Iridescent, Lynch1445, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rmky87, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, 18 anonymous edits Cedric Daniels Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487702927 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Acbistro, Arthur Holland, Astronaut, BierHerr, Bwithh, Carlosfigara, ChazBeckett, Conradege, CutOffTies, Djln, Dodgerblue777, EEMIV, Ellsworth, Fratrep, GODZOFTHUNDER, Idp, JeffStickney, Magioladitis, Mike Selinker, Misza13, Mrblondnyc, Muboshgu, Mvphillips22, Opark 77, Pepperjack, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, SimonBillenness, Swfong, Tellyaddict, Tjg16c, Yarsan, Yhelothur, 89 anonymous edits William Rawls Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484651339 Contributors: AaronSw, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, BierHerr, ChazBeckett, Conradege, CutOffTies, Djln, EEMIV, East718, Ellsworth, Everyking, Fortitude mountain, Fratrep, Geschichte, Gus Haynes, Inka 888, JeffStickney, JustAGal, Kvaks, Marek69, Mrblondnyc, Oneiros, Opark 77, Patmaher, RalfiParpa, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Secleinteer, Signalhead, SoCalAlum, Ted87, Tjg16c, Traleni, Treybien, 69 anonymous edits Ervin Burrell Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484651116 Contributors: ABCxyz, BierHerr, Captain Crawdad, ChazBeckett, ChrisCork, Conradege, CutOffTies, East718, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, GreatWhiteNortherner, LilHelpa, Nick Number, Opark 77, Plrk, Qjuad, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Thiseye, Tjg16c, Treybien, Whitneyo, 61 anonymous edits Stanislaus Valchek Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=450584002 Contributors: AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, Boris Barowski, Conradege, CutOffTies, Daysleeper47, Dodgerblue777, Galaxiaad, Geeky Randy, GirasoleDE, LesIsMore9o9, Manderiko, Mr. IP, Mr0grady, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, RobinReborn, Tabletop, Ted87, ThatGuamGuy, Vis-a-visconti, WWB, WereSpielChequers, 52 anonymous edits Jay Landsman Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484887834 Contributors: AaronSw, Akawow, Andrew Levine, BierHerr, Captain Disdain, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Djln, GringoDeMaio, Hunter Kahn, Jajasoon, Jweiss11, Lesliehurd, Liface, LilHelpa, MarkSweep, Mincebert, Opark 77, Paul A, Prezbo, RalfiParpa, Rich Farmbrough, Ted87, Teiladnam, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, Yonatan, 70 anonymous edits Law enforcement characters of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=478881132 Contributors: -MatM-, AaronSw, Akawow, Anapazapa, Bellhalla, Bobo192, Chris the speller, Conradege, CutOffTies, Daysleeper47, Dodgerblue777, Dodiad, Elagatis, Fratrep, JohnnyMrNinja, Jweiss11, Liface, LucyLocket481, Marcasireland, Mattcameron, Mike Selinker, Mrblondnyc, NuclearWarfare, Opark 77, Paulski.mcb, Peripitus, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Sacowlick, Simpsonary, ThatGuamGuy, Vegas949, 37 anonymous edits Rhonda Pearlman Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=480968257 Contributors: AaronSw, Alvis, AuburnPiIot, BD2412, BierHerr, Bjones, Chris 42, Conradege, CutOffTies, Download, Eatcacti, Fratrep, Galaxiaad, Gus Haynes, Jweiss11, LucyLocket481, Opark 77, Paulski.mcb, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Treybien, 40 anonymous edits Maurice Levy Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240262 Contributors: AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Aoa8212, Arthur Holland, AuburnPiIot, BierHerr, Bonitammmm, Camipco, Conradege, David Gerard, Eatcacti, Elockid, Fratrep, Hodgers, Iknowyourider, Jweiss11, Machetemirage, NotFromUtrecht, Opark 77, Prezbo, Prylon, RalfiParpa, Redsox95100, Rich Farmbrough, Rocks25, Sgw1009, Sintaku, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, UtoQ, Vis-a-visconti, WWB, 41 anonymous edits Street-level characters of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=483370092 Contributors: -MatM-, AaronSw, Adaniller, Alan smithee, Anapazapa, Angusmclellan, Arthur Holland, AuntFlo, Bdve, Bellhalla, Bkonrad, Bolivianewtonjohn, Ceilingtracer, CutOffTies, DavyTbone, Daysleeper47, Dispenser, Drovethrughosts, EEMIV, Edward, Esrever, Fortitude mountain, Gus Haynes, Hunting dog, Iohannes Animosus, Jajasoon, JesseRafe, Kfeniello, Lynch1445, Mdw0, Mike Selinker, Mrblondnyc, Mugsywwiii, Nlsanand, Opark 77, Radiojon, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Rnb, S h i v a (Visnu), Sansbras, Secleinteer, Senipanigav, Sylvain1972, TerraFrost, VictorGuardian250505, Volunteer Marek, WWB, Yaksar, Zelbava, 79 anonymous edits Omar Little Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=486740213 Contributors: ABCxyz, Acbistro, Afellowofinfinitejest, AgnosticPreachersKid, Ahkond, Alansohn, Amyracecar007, Andrew Levine, Antarctica moon, AuntFlo, Auntof6, Bbatsell, Bdve, Bellhalla, BierHerr, Bobo192, Boris Badinov44, Brendanconway, Castaa, CavendishCubed, Cerejota, Chris 42, Chris the speller, Coolug, Cor87, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, David Gerard, Dec8ur, Deicas, DerHexer, Dodiad, Donthedon8675, Drovethrughosts, Dschroder, Dsuriano, EEMIV, East718, Edward321, Ellsworth, Emayohtee, Es330td, FisherQueen, Fram, Fratrep, GODZOFTHUNDER, Galdemway, Gilliam, Golgofrinchian, Guanxi, Gus Haynes, Half biscuit, Halo2playa91, Hawknyc, Horkana, Hux, Ian-John, Iknowyourider, Imnotminkus, Inka 888, JForget, JamesAM, JanetRenard, Jayunderscorezero, JeffStickney, John K, John Reaves, JubalHarshaw, Kamaaluddin, Keith-264, Kelp, LaLaBand, Lquilter, Luna Santin, MadFerOasis6, Majorly, Mandarax, Mdw0, Mehals, Mike Searson, Mister Six, Mrblondnyc, Nakon, Nighend, Nishkid64, Nlsanand, Nobody25, Norwikian, Opark 77, Orioles982, Phil5329, Pinkadelica, Prezbo, Prometevsberg, Qjuad, RJASE1, RalfiParpa, Revcbl, Rjwilmsi, Rmky87, Robert K S, Sacowlick, Sarefo, Sattfield, Secleinteer, SoCalAlum, Stefan Khn, Tassedethe, ThatGuamGuy, Thebogusman, Thingg, Thread Stealer, Tjg16c, Tnxman307, Tommy2010, Tommyt, Tp23154, Treybien, Uarent, UltimatePyro, Valkyryn, Wabernat, Xanderer, 378 anonymous edits Bubbles Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=486868118 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, BlonddudeGoneDark, Caknuck, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, David Gerard, Dehbach, EEMIV, Gonzonoir, Gus Haynes, JeffStickney, Knight7se7en, Lecreuset87, Lilysky88, Machetemirage, Mrblondnyc, NeilK, Ohfabulicious, Opark 77, Polar, Postdlf, Qjuad, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Rkhwaja, Ted87, Uncle Dick, Yaksar, 75 anonymous edits

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Dennis "Cutty" Wise Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484735404 Contributors: ABCxyz, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Antoin, ArtVandelay13, Arthur Holland, Bailey, Bef6262, BierHerr, Bonadea, Cacophony, Conradege, Coumarin, CutOffTies, David Gerard, E0steven, Edward, Ellsworth, Floyd-out, Fortitude mountain, Gram123, Gregmce, Grifter84, Jaypea99, Magioladitis, Mentifisto, Mister Six, Muboshgu, Opark 77, Pepperjack, RalfiParpa, Rogarabit2, SoCalAlum, ThatGuamGuy, Tommyt, Toodiesel, Treybien, Wolfer68, 44 anonymous edits Stringer Bell Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484735207 Contributors: ABCxyz, AdjustShift, Andrew Levine, Augchen, Bdve, BierHerr, BunnyColvin, Carlosfigara, ChrisCork, Cometstyles, Conradege, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Ddg4005, Djrhoads1258, Drovethrughosts, Edward, Esrever, Fortitude mountain, Hunter Kahn, JD554, Jabrona, Jakerake, JeffStickney, Jersey Devil, Lecreuset87, LittleOldMe old, Machetemirage, Magioladitis, Mister Six, Muboshgu, Nadaismo, Ninebelow, Opark 77, Perfectmile8, Phil5329, RalfiParpa, Rhain, Rividian, Rmky87, SBDave, Secleinteer, Sophy26, Strikehold, Superbeecat, Tjg16c, Treybien, Turian, Valkyryn, WWB, Washburnmav, Wax Tablet, 105 anonymous edits Avon Barksdale Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484738645 Contributors: 15thWardWestBank, 3NE, ABCxyz, Absconded Northerner, Ajh16, AlistairMcMillan, Andrew Levine, Andyshades82, Aoa8212, Arthur Holland, Bdve, BierHerr, Biscuittin, Bonitammmm, Captain Crawdad, Carpenter aka, Causa sui, Cocytus, Conradege, CutOffTies, DanDud88, Dance With The Devil, David Gerard, Dawgdahunter, Djrhoads1258, Dodgerblue777, EEMIV, Edward, Ellsworth, Escape Orbit, Faradayplank, Firsfron, Geeky Randy, Guldenat, Gus Haynes, Hunter Kahn, Ian Pitchford, Iridescent, Jabrona, JeffStickney, Joetheduded, JonnyTanna, Josh Parris, Lecreuset87, Lquilter, Magioladitis, Maqsarian, McCullarMichael, Mr.RandomKnowledge, Muboshgu, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Ryan.germany, Secleinteer, Sin-man, SoCalAlum, Tagtool, Ted87, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Treybien, Tripalis, Trusilver, Valkyryn, Wfberan, WlffReik, Zackp, 119 anonymous edits Marlo Stanfield Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=486866956 Contributors: 96T, ABCxyz, AaronSw, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Anentiresleeve, ArmsAloftinAberdeen, Arthur Holland, Bdve, BierHerr, Boris Barowski, C1k3, Conradege, CutOffTies, Darrenhusted, David Gerard, Dawgdahunter, Discospinster, Download, Drovethrughosts, EEMIV, Eleemosynary, Fhtagn, Fratrep, Fuzzy510, Halda, Huevos Mcgringo, Itsthejonnyboy, Jayunderscorezero, JeffStickney, Joseph Solis in Australia, Jpj681, Kamitch, Kintetsubuffalo, LeCreuset05, Leopheard, LesIsMore9o9, Liebs2010, Lot49a, Lynch1445, M fic, MaxEnt, Oneiros, Opark 77, Phil5329, RalfiParpa, Royote, Saukenprince, Scott Donaldson, Secleinteer, Slmcdee, Snorz, Swpb, Tabletop, ThatGuamGuy, The Apokalips, Tjg16c, Treybien, UnkleFester, Wfberan, Wikipelli, Yamamoto Ichiro, 143 anonymous edits Proposition Joe Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484927217 Contributors: ABCxyz, Anildash, ArtVandelay13, Auntof6, Bellhalla, BierHerr, BrianDaubach10, Conradege, CutOffTies, Daysleeper47, Dodgerblue777, Dodiad, Fratrep, Fuzzy510, Htews, Hunter Kahn, Iknowyourider, JeffStickney, JetLover, Keithh, Kintetsubuffalo, LesIsMore9o9, LoganRage, Lynch1445, Marcus Brute, MelForbes, MultipleTom, Opark 77, Ouze, Pimlico73, Qjuad, RalfiParpa, Sean D Martin, ThatGuamGuy, TheBearPaw, Tjg16c, WWB, Wabernat, Yhelothur, 68 anonymous edits Spiros Vondas Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240866 Contributors: AaronSw, Arthur Holland, Baku&tblisi, BierHerr, Conradege, Cordless Larry, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, DeadEyeArrow, Ellsworth, JeffStickney, Jeisenberg, Lecreuset87, MarkSweep, Opark 77, Periptero, RalfiParpa, Rjcripe, Rmky87, SoCalAlum, Steven Walling, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Treybien, Vis-a-visconti, Woohookitty, WlffReik, 45 anonymous edits The Greek Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=478796803 Contributors: AaronSw, Alvis, Andyshades82, Aoa8212, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, Bsjdkdkl, Bunnyhop11, Ciphergoth, Closedmouth, Conradege, Cordless Larry, Cuchullain, Davecampbell, David Gerard, Dodiad, Ellsworth, Eric-Wester, Fortitude mountain, Fratrep, Fuzzibloke, JeffStickney, Jersey Devil, Jossi, Lecreuset87, Lid, Lynch1445, Marcus Brute, Marqueed, Mrblondnyc, Nick, Nickpheas, Opark 77, Periptero, Propaniac, RalfiParpa, Rmky87, Secleinteer, Steven Walling, Sulmues, ThatGuamGuy, The monkeyhate, Tjg16c, Uarent, Vis-a-visconti, Xavexgoem, 82 anonymous edits Chris Partlow Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487236860 Contributors: AaronSw, Acbistro, Alekz.k, Andrew Levine, Andyshades82, Conradege, CutOffTies, Ddg4005, Debivort, Dodgerblue777, Droll Sobriquet, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, Iknowyourider, John of Reading, JustAGal, Mr. IP, Mrblondnyc, Ohfabulicious, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Robofish, Rurik16, Tommyt, Treybien, Valkyryn, WordsAmp, 64 anonymous edits Felicia "Snoop" Pearson Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=475459086 Contributors: Absconded Northerner, Acbistro, AuntFlo, CommonsDelinker, CutOffTies, Desoda, Dodgerblue777, Drovethrughosts, Dvdfever, Esrever, Geeky Randy, Geniac, H3G3M0N, HCRockstar, IronGargoyle, JeffStickney, Jhfrontz, Jimmythecreep86, JustAGal, Jweiss11, Lowerarchy, Mrblondnyc, Namond br, Opark 77, Orlando235, PigFlu Oink, Pkulak, Rjwilmsi, S h i v a (Visnu), SatyrTN, Sheemstar, Sherool, SubSeven, TAnthony, Tassedethe, Ted87, The Apokalips, Tommyt, Treybien, Treyonna712, Trivialist, Turkeyphant, Vishnava, William Avery, WlffReik, Xp54321, 58 anonymous edits Wee-Bey Brice Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487239384 Contributors: A malivia, ABCxyz, AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Arthur Holland, BierHerr, BrianDaubach10, Captain Crawdad, Closedmouth, Cometstyles, Conradege, Copysan, CutOffTies, Darklilac, Dodgerblue777, Ellsworth, EoGuy, Fhtagn, Gary King, Geeky Randy, Gus Haynes, Jimmarci, Jweiss11, KevinGTempleton, Mdriver1981, Meishern, Nicander, Opark 77, Palfrey, Phil5329, PigFlu Oink, Pixelface, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Rmky87, SkonesMickLoud, Spark240, Ted87, TerraFrost, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Treybien, Yaksar, Ytcracker, 98 anonymous edits Bodie Broadus Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487239466 Contributors: A malivia, ABCxyz, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, Appraiser, BierHerr, BishopOcelot, Captain Crawdad, Chris 42, Cmsjustin, Commasense, Coumarin, Cp424, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Dismas, Dodgerblue777, Dre07, Ellsworth, Emeraude, Frietjes, Fuzzy510, Galaxiaad, Geeky Randy, Gm-ishi Ashi Gurum, Hunter Kahn, Jasontrek, JeffStickney, Jersey Devil, John of Reading, Jweiss11, Magioladitis, McCullarMichael, Mepeter, Mister Six, Mr0grady, Opark 77, Palfrey, Qjuad, Raheem West, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Scottyb76, Ted87, ThatGuamGuy, The Apokalips, Thebaron8181, Tjg16c, Treybien, UltimatePyro, UnkoDisaster, William Avery, Xiua1.1, 164 anonymous edits Poot Carr Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484650983 Contributors: 01cosmo, 96T, A malivia, ABCxyz, Acbistro, Ahkond, Andrew Levine, BierHerr, CanadianLinuxUser, CutOffTies, DanDud88, Eggman64, Eugene-elgato, Excirial, Firsfron, Fuzzibloke, Hunter Kahn, Mike Rosoft, Monkeyangst, Muboshgu, NawlinWiki, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Realsupergirl, Shu99, SoCalAlum, Ted87, The Apokalips, Tjg16c, Treybien, UltimatePyro, Velella, Wknight94, Wolfer68, Zodiacsage, 75 anonymous edits D'Angelo Barksdale Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487237895 Contributors: A malivia, ABCxyz, Andrew Levine, ArtVandelay13, BierHerr, CutOffTies, David Gerard, E-Quizative, EEMIV, Geeky Randy, Hunter Kahn, JeffStickney, Joseph Solis in Australia, Lockwood Like, Magioladitis, NThomas, Opark 77, Puchiko, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, SaschaTeske, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Treybien, 50 anonymous edits Cheese Wagstaff Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=485776017 Contributors: AaronSw, Ahkond, Arthur Holland, C1k3, Closedmouth, Creamy3, CutOffTies, Derricktsmith, Geeky Randy, Iknowyourider, Itain'tsobad, J.delanoy, JustAGal, Jweiss11, LoonyPandora, Machetemirage, Opark 77, Porterhse, Powelldinho, RalfiParpa, Ted87, Versus22, WikiGuy86, 41 anonymous edits Wallace Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484754157 Contributors: -MatM-, Geeky Randy, Hunter Kahn, Inka 888, M.fergus89, Mrblondnyc, Rich Farmbrough, Tommyt, Treybien, 32 anonymous edits Characters from the docks of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=464965033 Contributors: -MatM-, Belovedfreak, J.delanoy, John of Reading, Malc82, Meelar, Meisterkoch, Mike Selinker, Mrblondnyc, Nick Number, Opark 77, Pennywisepeter, PigFlu Oink, Robert K S, Secleinteer, Swfong, ThatGuamGuy, Tide rolls, VictorGuardian250505, 28 anonymous edits Frank Sobotka Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=468187364 Contributors: Andrew Levine, BierHerr, Bobak, Conradege, Cordless Larry, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, David Gerard, Drovethrughosts, Gary King, Geschichte, Jackmass, JeffStickney, Jprw, Jweiss11, Keristrasza, Lid, LilHelpa, Lynch1445, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rmky87, SaschaTeske, Thebogusman, Tjg16c, Tommyt, Valve, Vis-a-visconti, 46 anonymous edits Nick Sobotka Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487239854 Contributors: Andrew Levine, BierHerr, Brendankm, Conradege, Cordless Larry, CutOffTies, Dodgerblue777, JeffStickney, Jweiss11, Kerotan, Lid, Lynch1445, Opark 77, Prezbo, RalfiParpa, Rmky87, Tjg16c, Treybien, UltimatePyro, Valkyryn, Vis-a-visconti, 38 anonymous edits Ziggy Sobotka Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484651177 Contributors: Andrew Levine, Anildash, Barsoomian, BierHerr, Conormtl, Conradege, Cordless Larry, CutOffTies, DanDud88, DRahier, Emeraude, JeffStickney, Lid, MarkSweep, Michael Devore, Mister Six, Mreleganza, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Rmky87, Tjg16c, Treybien, Vis-a-visconti, 42 anonymous edits Sergei Malatov Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487239595 Contributors: Arthur Holland, Ciphergoth, Drpickem, Faboba, Jayunderscorezero, Treybien, Twp, WlffReik, 15 anonymous edits Politicians of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=458748403 Contributors: -MatM-, AaronSw, Alan smithee, Anapazapa, Andrew Levine, Ark2120, Conradege, Creamy3, CutOffTies, DoKnowButchie, Dodgerblue777, East718, Fratrep, GirasoleDE, Gregmce, Grifter84, Gus Haynes, Intgr, JeffStickney, JustAGal, Lynch1445, Mrblondnyc, On Thermonuclear War, Opark 77, SHJohnson, ShakataGaNai, Smartiger, ThatGuamGuy, Thesloth, WWB, Welsh, Wolfer68, 43 anonymous edits

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Tommy Carcetti Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=475310102 Contributors: 96T, AaronSw, Acbistro, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, BierHerr, Conradege, CutOffTies, Davecampbell, Dodgerblue777, Edwardx, Escape Orbit, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, GirasoleDE, Goosedoggy, Iridescent, Jim1138, Jkfp2004, M fic, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, Politics rule, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, SoCalAlum, Steepbn, Tangurena, The wub, Tjg16c, Volunteer Marek, Ylee, Zevets, 47 anonymous edits Clarence Royce Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487236666 Contributors: ABCxyz, Alan smithee, Andrew Levine, Arthur Holland, Avicennasis, BierHerr, Conradege, Davecampbell, Edward, Geeky Randy, Giraffedata, GirasoleDE, Marylandstater, Mikist4, Opark 77, Phil5329, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Scrabbler, SoCalAlum, The wub, Tjg16c, Treybien, 23 anonymous edits Clay Davis Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487236576 Contributors: 96T, ABCxyz, Andrew Levine, ArmsAloftinAberdeen, Arthur Holland, Beano, BierHerr, Bobo192, Conradege, Coolug, CutOffTies, DARTH SIDIOUS 2, DonFB, East718, Es330td, Excirial, FrancoGG, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Griffinofwales, Gus Haynes, Hirolovesswords, J-stan, J.delanoy, JForget, Jdbaldwin, Jredmond, Kbir1, Kjetil r, Kkman24, Kuralyov, LeaveSleaves, Macy, MarcelB612, Materialscientist, Mrblondnyc, Mrhsj, Ndenison, Non-dropframe, Opark 77, Oseirus, Penbat, Pigman, RalfiParpa, Reyk, Rividian, Rjwilmsi, Roux-HG, Rufiodub, Samwisep86, SlimVirgin, SoWhy, Spongefrog, SupaDane, THEN WHO WAS PHONE?, Ted87, ThatGuamGuy, The Thing That Should Not Be, Tjg16c, Tohd8BohaithuGh1, Treybien, VTNC, WWB, 136 anonymous edits Norman Wilson Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240389 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Bailey, BierHerr, Big iron, Chowbok, Conradege, Geeky Randy, GirasoleDE, GoingBatty, Kcumming, Mr0grady, Mrblondnyc, Nscheffey, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, 30 anonymous edits School system of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=469193748 Contributors: -MatM-, AaronSw, Alansohn, Antoin, Cinephile, CutOffTies, E-Quizative, Floria L, Geschichte, JeffStickney, Jonathan Hall, JustAGal, Lquilter, Lynch1445, Mild Bill Hiccup, Momo13, Mrblondnyc, Namond br, Opark 77, PigFlu Oink, RHaworth, Raheem West, Tassedethe, Twas Now, Yaksar, 41 anonymous edits Howard "Bunny" Colvin Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=477193222 Contributors: ABCxyz, Acbistro, Alvis, Andrew Levine, Betacommand, BierHerr, BunnyColvin, Chris the speller, Conradege, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Ellsworth, Gregmce, HexaChord, Horkana, JeffStickney, LurkingInChicago, Mawor, Mcc1789, Michig, Opark 77, Peteforsyth, RalfiParpa, SimonBillenness, SimonKSK, Slof, SoCalAlum, Static Universe, Ted87, ThatGuamGuy, Treybien, WWB, 45 anonymous edits Michael Lee Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484208654 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Andrew Levine, Baa, BierHerr, CanadianLinuxUser, Conti, CutOffTies, David Gerard, Dkkicks, Doczilla, Esrever, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Geniac, Gogo Dodo, Halda, Hucksterling, Huevos Mcgringo, JeffStickney, Jeisenberg, Joydrop, JustAGal, Kintetsubuffalo, MarloStalinfield, Mikist4, Mochalox, Ohfabulicious, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, ReformedEditor, Rividian, Sieckanddestroy, Ted87, TedBaker88, ThatGuamGuy, Tjg16c, Tweetybird77859, UltimatePyro, Valkyryn, WlffReik, Xnunezr, Zakeia, 97 anonymous edits Duquan "Dukie" Weems Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484133462 Contributors: ABCxyz, AaronSw, Ahkond, Auntof6, BierHerr, CutOffTies, Edward, Geeky Randy, JeffStickney, JustAGal, Jweiss11, Keegscee, Knight7se7en, Marqueed, Mochalox, Mrblondnyc, Ohfabulicious, Opark 77, Propaniac, Ragesoss, RalfiParpa, Rjwilmsi, Thread Stealer, Tjg16c, Uarent, Xnunezr, 41 anonymous edits Namond Brice Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=485634026 Contributors: ABCxyz, Andrew Levine, Arsvita734, Arthena, BierHerr, Binary TSO, Buttonwillow mckittrick, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, CutOffTies, CyberSkull, David Gerard, Deflective, Dodiad, E-Quizative, Geeky Randy, Grifter84, Hullaballoo Wolfowitz, James086, Java13690, JeffStickney, JibbsMusic, John254, Jweiss11, Kwamikagami, Lord Jim, Mochalox, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Raverdrew, The Red, Volunteer Marek, WWB, Xnunezr, 43 anonymous edits Randy Wagstaff Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487238385 Contributors: ABCxyz, Andrew Levine, BierHerr, ChrisCork, Conradege, CutOffTies, Derricktsmith, Dodiad, E-Quizative, Edward, Geeky Randy, Jaypea99, JeffStickney, Jweiss11, LCWeber147, Loves1011, Mincebert, MultipleTom, Namond br, Ohfabulicious, Opark 77, Porterhse, RalfiParpa, Rssutherland, Treybien, Wasabe3543, Zzuuzz, 41 anonymous edits Journalists of The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487910202 Contributors: AaronSw, Antoin, Arthur Holland, Biscuit108, Blanchardb, CutOffTies, Digamma, Gregmce, Hammersoft, Jhfrontz, John K, JohnnyMrNinja, JustAGal, Jweiss11, Liface, Lord Jim, Lynch1445, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, Peripitus, RalfiParpa, Tabletop, Twas Now, 32 anonymous edits Augustus Haynes Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240481 Contributors: AaronSw, Daysleeper47, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, GirasoleDE, Marqueed, Michael.Urban, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, Padraic, RalfiParpa, Treybien, 19 anonymous edits Scott Templeton Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240657 Contributors: AaronSw, Achester99, CutOffTies, DMacks, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Jweiss11, Kewp, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Secleinteer, Sjorford, TFOWR, Treybien, Woohookitty, YUL89YYZ, Ylee, 27 anonymous edits Alma Gutierrez Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487240744 Contributors: AaronSw, Fratrep, Geeky Randy, Jweiss11, Mrblondnyc, Opark 77, RalfiParpa, Sciurin, Treybien, 7 anonymous edits And All the Pieces Matter Five Years of Music from The Wire Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=487191088 Contributors: Cdl obelix, Cjstensrud, Coolug, CutOffTies, D6, GrahamHardy, Gus Haynes, Habiloid, Headbomb, Jkroberts114, JustAGal, Koavf, Miblo, Mick gold, Neilc, Soul phire, Starcheerspeaksnewslostwars, Tabletop, Velcro Christmas Tree, Yu & You, Zidane tribal, 9 anonymous edits

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